Scared to Want You
by Aikat3rin3
Summary: The day ends with Yuki hit by a car and diagnosed with Dissociative Fugue, or amnesia, causing him to think he's a girl. It's reversible, but unknown how long he'll be like this, and during that time, something unexpected sparks between life-time rivals.
1. Chapter 1

Car Accident That Caused Something… Unexpected

Morning

Yuki and Kyo were having a normal day, well, normal as far as a day at the Shigure Sohma's house went.

Also known as: Not normal in the slightest.

But in the sense that it was normal, Yuki was tired, accidentally fell on Kyo's shoulder, Kyo got mad, and Kyo was sent twenty feet away by a simple kick.

The day was nice enough, with the cool green leaves fluttering in the wind and yesterday's laundry flapping under the strain of the gusts and their bonds to the clothesline, but the fire burned white hot under Kyo Sohma's almost-red eyes.

"Damn rat! Do you ever let up?" Kyo's cat ears on his head gave off the clear message that he was ticked, the left side of his jawbone sporting a painful looking (and brand new) bruise.

His usual cargo pants and tight black shirt were nowhere to be seen, instead, the white shirt of his school uniform caught the sun's light and nearly blinded anyone who looked at it, although almost everyone would argue that his cousin, Yuki's, `light' would outshine even lightning striking the sun.

"Can't you even let me sleep?" Yuki returned in a chiding way, fixing his shirt as he padded off to the kitchen. His socks, always clean and freshly washed by Tohru Honda were as white as Kyo's shirt, because he never had to get them dirty, even when fighting---winning against his cousin for the… well, he'd lost track of just how many times he'd beaten Kyo.

"Tohru! I'm starving!" Shigure wined, exiting his office in his usual writer's kimono and slumping off to the kitchen. His thumb was hooked in the sash, but his other hand left the duty of shielding his eyes from the sunlight to brush aside the overhead curtain leading from the veranda to the kitchen.

Kyo growled, he considered chasing after Yuki and challenging him to another fight, but the smell of salmon caught his nose and instead he huffed, stomping after Shigure and Yuki.

He shoveled the food into his mouth as fast as he could, desperate to get away from the damn rat as fast as he could. It was creeping him out the way Yuki was staring, even if he was half asleep.

Maybe it was his hair, it was quite a sight.

Two words: Bright Orange.

There was no other explanation needed, even people he didn't know would pass him in the streets and harass him about it. But whether or not they were just teasing or actually looking to start a fight, they always ended up bloodied on the ground by Kyo's quick-flaring temper.

He hadn't always had such an obnoxiously large chip on his shoulder, but sixteen years of everyone telling him how horrid he was had chiseled at his temper until he snapped at the tiniest things. Whether it was Yuki staring or Hatsuharu picking another fight at all the wrong times, and then getting violent when Kyo refused, he always snapped.

"I'm going ahead." He growled, grabbing his bag and throwing it over his shoulder. He jolted up from the table, making a mental note to destroy the rat later and marched over to the door.

"Oh, Kyo, why don't you wait? I'll be done in a few minutes, and I'll walk with you." Tohru smiled up at him, setting her bowl down while talking to him to be polite.

"Oh, uh… you don't…" he stuttered, a small blush forming on his upper cheek. He unconsciously gripped the paper door tighter as she smiled at him.

"It's ok, I don't want you to walk alone." She said sweetly, her smile shining right through his former mood.

"Whatever. I'll be by the front." He huffed, turning in a rush to hide his pink cheeks and stomped out the door, letting Yuki's mutter of "Stupid cat." Slide for once.

He dropped his bag by the door and fell back against the wall, sliding down to sit and watch the clouds. Why was it that he got so happy every time she smiled, and how could she make him want to smile every time she laughed?

He gritted his teeth and tried not to take his frustration out on the paper door or on the veranda, he didn't need Shigure after him again for breaking the house.

He knew what it was, even though he would never ever admit it, even to himself. It scared him.

The way he reacted around her, the way his heart lit up when she smiled, the way his body temperature shot through the roof along with his brain every time she got too close. He had never experienced anything like that before, and it scared him to think that he would have a… a… weakness like that.

Yuki stepped out onto the veranda next and set his bag down, leaning back against the wall and looking at the sky. Kyo glared up at him, considering whether or not to attack him, but decided against it when Tohru stepped out onto the veranda.

"Isn't it a beautiful day?" she beamed at the sky, her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun.

"Yeah, whatever, lets just go." Kyo muttered, grabbing his bag and walking off down the path.

"It is a beautiful day." Yuki agreed with Tohru, making Kyo grit his teeth. That damn rat was always butting in and being the goody-two-shoes for her. Just another reason for Kyo to despised him; he wasn't good with people, and all that damn Yuki had to do was smile to attract everyone else.

It wasn't fair, Yuki got everything. The attention, the love, the friends, the… everything. But it was never fair. It had never been fair, and it would never be fair. He was the cat and Yuki was the rat, that was the way it would always be, and nothing could change that.

Kyo drowned out the chitchat of his bastard of a cousin and Tohru will the memories of his last fight with Haru. The one good thing about Haru showing up at all the wrong times to fight, was that Kyo was always mad at Yuki at that second, so he was able to blow off some serious steam.

He wished that Haru would jump out of the bushes because of his crappy sense of direction and demand for another fight right now. It would be a good reason to skip school if nothing else.

After School

School was boring as usual. He got mad at Yuki and Yuki buried him. It was another good reason for Uo, Tohru's Yankee friend to harass him for his hair.

"Kyo, do you want to play Rich Man, Poor Man?" Tohru asked him, holding out a deck of cards. He looked up from his book to her eyes poking from over the top of the binding.

"Why the heck would I want to play that stupid game?" he snapped, trying not to upset her, but this day was just pissing him off for some reason.

"You a coward?" Uo sneered, placing her elbow on his head and leaning all her weight on him. He smacked her arm off.

"Who says? I just don't want to play the damn game!" he barked.

"Stupid cat." Yuki muttered, putting the broom back in the closet now that cleaning the classroom was done.

"What was that, you damn rat?" Kyo snapped, out of his seat and by Yuki's side in milliseconds.

"Nothing." Yuki sighed. "Miss Honda, may I play?" he asked sweetly, walking up to her and holding out his hand, offering to shuffle the cards.

"Of course!" she grinned widely at him and passed him the cards.

"Hey." Haru said suddenly, sliding open the classroom door. "Kyo, I've been looking for you."

"Yeah? For how many days?" Kyo sniffed. _Ok, he looks calm enough now, but…_

"Why were you looking for cat-lover?" one of the boys in the class approached the younger boy.

"Hey!" Kyo snapped.

"I want him to fight me." Haru answered plainly and Kyo cursed. The phrase "Never getting out of this alive" ran through his mind as he thought of just walking away to not fight Haru.

"Not now." Kyo snapped, grabbing his bag and walking out as fast as he could.

"He really is a coward." Uo laughed, beside her, Hana's hair was sticking up from Haru's, his and Uo's electrical charges in the room.

"Damn Yank! Take that back!" he yelled, getting right in her face.

"Kyo, just fight him, before---" Yuki began, eyeing Haru.

"I said no, you damn rat!" Kyo shot back.

"He's a weakling." Hana murmured.

"What did you say?" Kyo demanded, rounding on her.

"Kyo…" Yuki began again.

"Shut up---AAAH!" Kyo clutched his side in pain as Haru lowered his foot to the ground, the necklaces around Haru's neck almost floating from the anger flowing inside of him.

"You sicken me, using pathetic excuses to get out of a duel." Haru growled from beneath his bangs.

"Uh oh." Some of the kids in the class murmured, edging towards the door.

"I told him." Yuki rolled his eyes, placing his papers in his bag and flipping the top closed.

"You damn brat!" Kyo shot up from the floor, preparing to take Haru's face of, or at least his nose.

"You pansy! You can't even fight me! You're using excuses because you're too afraid to fight me!" Haru laughed menacingly before Kyo's fist connected with his cheek, sending him flying backwards, and the battle commenced.

Everyone fled the room as Haru and Kyo smashed through the desks, trying to be the first one to beat the other to a pulp.

"Tohru!" Momiji called, running into the room with a lollypop in his mouth and three more in his left hand, his right hand was busy waving at light speed.

"Oh, Momiji!" Tohru clasped her hands together as Momiji came to a skidding halt beside Tohru and holding a lollypop to Yuki who quickly refused.

"Let's go Miss Honda." Yuki walked over to her, glaring the two sparring buffoons over by the windows. "This could take hours."

"A-alright." She said unsurely, following Yuki out with Momiji skipping behind her.

Later

Kyo wiped the bleeding lump on his bottom lip, it was courtesy of Haru, but Kyo was glad that he had won. Again.

"Good fight." Haru mused, straightening the last of the desks that they had nearly demolished. It was a wonder the teachers hadn't called the police because of the sounds of nuclear bombs being exploded in one of the classrooms. Although, the teachers were probably used to the mayhem the Sohmas had brought with them by now.

"Damn brat." Kyo spat.

"Admit it, you had fun." Haru smiled, back to his white self again. He wiped his forehead and heaved a huge breath.

"You didn't have to destroy the classroom in the process." Kyo chided, although he did have fun.

"Kyo Sohma, or Hatsuharu Sohma?"

Kyo and Haru looked up to the newcomer poking his head in the door. A teacher from one of the younger classes was leaning in with his hands behind his back.

"Yeah?" Haru answered for them both.

"There's a telephone call for the both of you, down in the main office."

Haru nodded politely and walked out, Kyo right beside him.

"Hello?" Haru picked up the phone while Kyo leaned back against the front desk, hands in his pockets and eyes closed, as if he were still trying to cool down.

"Hatori?" Haru's brow furrowed.

Kyo looked over. _Why would Hatori want both of us?_

"What?" Haru practically shouted, his hand slamming down on the desk making everyone in the office jump.

"Ok, I understand." Haru nodded and hung up.

"That was Hatori." Haru said slowly, staring at the desk.

"Yeah, I heard." Kyo pressed him for the information. "Hey!" he yelled as Haru took off running out of the office.

"What did the bastard want?" Kyo barked, catching up to him without any trouble.

"He was calling from the hospital," Haru replied, his eyes narrowed, "Yuki got hit by a car."

Seven Blocks Away

"He looks fine, no serious head injuries, but I haven't had the time to talk to him yet." Hatori told them calmly, his hands loosely draped in the pockets of his white doctor's coat.

"Thank goodness!" Tohru sighed, clasping her hands tightly in front of her, tears sprinkling her eyes.

"How did it happen?" Haru asked, both him and Kyo out of breath from running all the way from the school to the hospital.

"The usual car accident." Hatori replied in his usual monotone voice. "He was crossing the street and a drunk driver came speeding around the corner, he wasn't able to get out of the way in time."

"I hope he wakes up soon!" Momiji bubbled.

"Indeed." Hatori said, but as if he were dealing with Momiji's usual antics.

"Ah, our poor Yuki!" Shigure cried dramatically, his hand over his eyes. "What cruel twist of fate has dragged you down this dangerous path? How could the stars be so unkind to our little boy of the rat?"

"That's enough Shigure." Hatori ordered. "We are in a hospital, and the are other patients being taken care of and trying to sleep here."

"Oh Hari, you never fail to find ways to spoil my fun!" Shigure sobbed, hiding behind his fan with his teary eyes poking over the top.

"Excuse me doctor?" a nurse poked her head out of Yuki's room, where no one but Hatori had been allowed in so far.

"Yes?" Hatori turned, making the poor nurse go bright red from the sudden shock of his handsomeness.

"T-the, uh, patient is awake, sir." She added with a small bow before holding the door open for him.

"Thank you." He nodded and entered the hospital room, closing the door behind him.

Kyo hadn't said a word the entire time, but as he looked at Tohru's terrified expression, he couldn't help the jealousy bubbling up inside of him, along with something else… worry?

He scoffed. He would never worry about that dam rat, besides, a rogue car clipping Yuki's hip could never kill him. Sure, he had hit his head pretty hard when he fell to the pavement, but it was nothing like the blows he'd taken in martial arts. Even if they were scarce, Kyo did get the occasional kick to the rat's head in, though Yuki always destroyed him in the end.

"How is he?" Tohru demanded, if not quietly, when Hatori stepped back out of Yuki's room, closing the door behind him.

Hatori paused. "…Physically he's fine." He answered, the pause he had used to find the right words.

"Physically?" Kyo asked for everyone, picking up easily enough on the key word.

"Yes." Hatori nodded. "He will only have some bruising and possibly the need of a brace for his hip because the car only clipped him, but when he hit his head…"

"What happened?" Shigure asked, serious for once.

"Well, Yuki has suffered from Dissociative Fugue." Hatori said slowly, looking out the window.

"And just what the hell is that?" Kyo snorted.

"Well… it's more commonly known as amnesia." Hatori explained, ignoring Kyo's usual attitude.

"Yuki has amnesia?" Momiji squeaked, while Tohru looked like she was about to pass out.

"It isn't very serious." Hatori soothed Tohru. "Dissociative Fugue is a certain, and very rare type of amnesia that is more commonly found in fiction." (^-^ heehee, that's also true, by the way.)

"What's rare about it?" Shigure asked, thinking mostly about uses for it in his novels.

"It's a condition that hinders the ability for one to recall their past, that or a loss of identity and possibly the formation of a new identity. Yuki has a sort of mix between the three possibilities."

"Then… what's wrong with him?" Haru asked, pushing Hatori to the point as fast as he could.

"Well, to be absolutely blunt…" Hatori said, trying to evade the answer as long as possible, "Yuki is convinced that he's a girl."

Silence.

Even the crickets were silent as everyone stared back at Hatori.

"He what?" Kyo verified, pretending to clean his ear out with his pinky.

"While he seems to have no problems with his male body, and has no significant memory loss aside from small things, he does believe that he is female."

"W-well… that's ok, right?" Tohru asked, trying to see the light in every situation. "I mean, he's still Yu---"

"OK?" Kyo bellowed, jumping up.

"Shut up Kyo." Haru said coolly. "Can he go back? I mean… to being a boy… ish?"

"Dissociative Fugue is almost always temporary, and while it is possible to return, it is very unstable. I suggest that unless you want this condition made permanent, and possibly the wrath of Akito for making it permanent, I urge you all to comply with Yuki's wishes. It is possible that anything could be traumatic enough---because his condition may already be disorienting for him---that could cause permanent damage."

"Then… is there anything we should do?" Tohru asked from behind her clasped hands.

"Yes." Hatori nodded automatically, as if he had been waiting for that question. "Kyo? If Yuki wants to fight, fight him. Just avoid anything to the head if you could." Hatori looked him in the eye and then turned to Tohru and Shigure after administering his non-verbal threat.

"Tohru and Shigure? If Yuki wants something or wants to do something certain on any given day, it would be best to go along with it and to keep him from getting angered at all costs… Kyo, don't get him mad means don't argue with him." Hatori ordered, suddenly much sterner and harsher.

"Yeah, yeah." Kyo huffed, jamming his hands in his uniform pants pockets.

"Well, I had better go call Akito and tell him what happened." Hatori said reluctantly and stopped a nurse in the hall to ask where the telephone was.

"Can we go see him?" Momiji called down the hallway after Hatori.

"You may." Hatori nodded. "But keep everything to minimum, and that includes noise level Kyo."

"Damn it! Why do you always gotta single me out?" Kyo roared across the hallway after Hatori.

"Because you and Yuki are the ones always causing all the ruckus around here." Shigure answered for Hatori, knocking quietly on Yuki's door. "And presently, Yuki's stuck in a hospital bed and is being heavily medicated for the pain."

"Me? What about Mr. Bipolar over here?" Kyo snapped, jabbing his finger at Haru. Everyone just ignored him and opened the door as Yuki told them to come in.

"How are you feeling Yuki?" Tohru asked him quietly, stepping up to his bed.

"I'll be alright, the car only clipped me, nothing serious." Yuki smiled.

_He doesn't… seem any different._ Kyo cocked his head to the side, wondering what Yuki's personality change would be like. _Does he even know about the amnesia? Knowing Hatori, Yuki wont know unless someone besides the damn doctor spills it._

"You gave us quite a scare." Shigure smirked. "Poor Tohru was afraid you were going to die."

"I was not!" Tohru said, instantly defending herself.

"I was joking." Shigure reassured her, putting his hands up in surrender.

"Did Hatori say when I was going to get out?" Yuki asked next. His hair was mussed, and his clothes a little torn, but other than that, he looked the same, not the way a girl like Tohru would normally act.

"No." Haru shook his head. "He's probably going to want you watched for the next few days."

"He always over reacts." Yuki sighed, threading a hand through his hair. "Then again, Akito's almost always at the heart of these things." He muttered mostly to himself.

"Well, we'll try to get you out of here as soon as possible." Shigure waved and walked out of the room singing: "Quiet time, quiet time! The house wont be destroyed!"

"Yeah, I'm going too." Kyo muttered, grabbing his school bag and walking out after Shigure.

_Jeez, this is going to suck. _Kyo sniffed, shoving the hospital door open and storming out. _And why the hell am I so pissed anyway?_


	2. Chapter 2

Oh. My. God.

XXX

"Dinner's ready!" Tohru called from the kitchen, holding her spoon up to signal Kyo, who was perched o the roof.

Kyo sighed and heaved himself up, flinching slightly as he almost slipped. He stood and stepped with ease across the tilted, smooth, metal surface and down the latter.

The table looked odd without Yuki sitting across from Tohru, even though Kyo told himself that he was glad Yuki wasn't there, and even three days after the accident.

"Kyo, hurry up!" Shigure wined. "I'm starving!"

"You always are, damn dog." He muttered, padding into the kitchen and flopping down by the table.

"Oh, shoot." Shigure said suddenly, tapping his fist lightly into his other hand before Kyo had even picked up his chopsticks. "I told Yuki that I would bring him a few changes of clothes over, but I forgot." He stared into space for a moment and looked slowly over at Kyo, an evil grin spreading on his face. "Oh Kyo…" he sang.

"No way!" Kyo slammed his hands down on the table, shooting Tohru an apologetic glance when she jumped. "No way in hell am I bringing that damn rat his stupid clothes! Make someone else do it!"

"But Kyo…" Shigure sobbed, his fan suddenly open and shielding the lower half of his face.

"You like to torment me, don't you?" Kyo held his fist up to Shigure.

"That's beside the point!" Shigure said defensively. "Kyo…" he pleaded again.

"Fine! Damn it!" Kyo snarled, storming out of the dining room and up to Yuki's room.

He kicked open the rat's door and wrenched open the top drawer of the dresser, grabbing the first two shirts and pants he saw. The damn rat could deal… or hopefully go jump off a cliff if he didn't like them. He kicked the door shut again, ignoring Shigure shouting: "Kyo, don't break any doors!" from downstairs.

Kyo growled as he caught Shigure smirking to himself when he passed the dining room, but didn't want to make Tohru and more worried, so he just growled louder and purposefully slammed the front door as hard as he could.

The only thing people would hear as the orange haired boy passed would be a string of profanities being spewed under the boy's breath. "Damn Shigure----stupid bastard----spoiled little rat----couldn't even wait `til after dinner----lazy fat dog----damn drunk drivers and damn rogue cars----"

Kyo stomped up to the hospital doors and flung one open, storming in and to the stairs.

"Excuse me sir! Visiting hours are over!" a nurse called, jumping in front of him to block his path. She froze in terror as their gazes met.

"I'm on special orders from Doctor Hatori Sohma to bring these to one of his patients." Kyo growled slowly, frightening the poor girl even more.

"Do… d-do you have a note?" she held out her hand anxiously, as if she were afraid he was going to bite her. Maybe he should bite her, just to get her to leave him alone…

"You think he has time to write notes up when he's trying to take care of one of his patients?" Kyo snapped. Trying to keep his cool wasn't working, so if this girl knew what was good for her, she would move.

"I'm, sorry, I can't---"

"Why don't you fricking call him?" Kyo barked, finally snapping. "You walk over to the phone, pick it up, dial and talk to the damn doctor and I'll bring my damn cousin his damn clothes, and then be gone!"

"Y-you're family?" she breathed, about to collapse, or at least run from fear.

"Does it matter? Visiting hours are over." He said rudely, imitating her in a high pitched, winy voice.

"Please just don't disturb the other patients." The girl said quickly, trotting to get away as fast as possible while following the hospital's `walking only' rule.

Kyo huffed, and took several deep breaths to cool himself down before continuing to the stairs. He had to be calm, because if he got Yuki mad… well, Hatori would have his head, but Akito… Kyo shivered, not wanting to think about that.

Kyo took the stairs six at a time, wanting to get this over with and get himself out of there as fast as he could. He slowed as he reached Yuki's room, curiosity again poking at his mind as he wondered how Yuki would act. All girly like the Prince Yuki Fan Club, or like Uo, or like Hana?

He shivered again. Another Hana… he might just throw up.

_Is he awake?_ Kyo's hand hesitated by the door, but he forced himself to knock, again baiting himself with the idea of getting out of there fast enough.

"Yes?"

Kyo sighed, worried he would be mad by waking him, but pushed the door open.

"Thought I heard you." Yuki laughed.

Kyo froze. _I did wake him downstairs. Crap. Here comes the punch._ He braced himself for another iron fist to his cheek, but it never came.

"I woke you?" he verified unsurely.

Yuki laughed again. "Yeah, but it's fine, I've been sleeping for the last two days straight because of the pain medications, so I was ready to wake up."

"Oh." Kyo nodded, not sure whether to be glad that Yuki wasn't mad, or scared to death because of how nice Yuki was being. This was **not** normal.

"What's that?" Yuki nodded at the clothes under Kyo's arm.

"Oh, Shigure told me to bring `em over." Kyo dropped them on the dresser and whirled to face the door.

"Thank you."

"……What?" Kyo turned back at the pace of a snail. Yuki was really starting to freak him out. The laughing was scary, but thanking him?

"I thanked you." Yuki repeated, a tone of warning in his voice.

"I heard." Kyo snapped.

The two stood staring each other down until Kyo huffed and turned for the door again.

"K-Kyo, wait…"

Kyo twitched. He was going to get a fist in the jaw when he turned around, he just knew it, but because he wanted to leave… he braced himself, spreading his feet into a fighting stance and rotated at a pace worthy of molasses. Better to get it over with as fast as possible.

He peaked through his closed eyes to see Yuki staring at him like he was crazy. He probably was crazy.

"What?" he asked, letting the curiosity fill his voice. Hey, it was better than the nervousness inside of him bubbling out through his voice so it sounded like anger.

Yuki looked away, just staring out the window to the lights of the city in the black night. Kyo groaned and sank into the chair by Yuki's bed. He stared at his feet, waiting for the damn rat to break the silence.

"Kyo…" Yuki began again, but stopped and turned to the window again. Kyo looked up at the rat's face. It was if he was… fighting with himself, conflicting about something.

Kyo stood. "I'm going to go." He faced the door and was about to take a step when a hand grabbed his hand and pulled him back into the chair.

Kyo's shocked "What the hell are you---" was cut off when he realized just how close his cousin was.

To his lips.

Yuki's hands was warm and tight around Kyo's and he was gradually pulling Kyo closer, and Kyo found that he had completely been robbed of ability to move. He wasn't able to move until the electric shock of Yuki's forehead touching his jolted him awake.

Kyo shot up out of the chair, flew through the air and landed by the door, wrenching it open and slamming it behind him. His breathing was ragged, and he had to lean against the door for support. Yuki had tried to…

Kyo began running, not stopping for any of the nurses or doctors yelling at him, he didn't even slow when a stretcher with a bloodied patient on it appeared in front of him. Instead, he managed to jump start his brain enough to flip himself over the cart, landing gracefully on the other side on his finger tips and toes only to keep running.

He burst through the doors, slipping slightly on the wet, newly rained on sidewalk as he took off for… he didn't even know where he was going. But as he ran, water splashing around his ankles, he glimpsed Yuki by his window, gazing down at him with regret, or sadness, or… longing.

Two Days Later

Kyo was stretched out on the roof of Shigure Sohma's house, his hands folded behind his head, his eyes following the clouds as he waited.

Waited for the sound of the car.

The car that was bringing Yuki back from the hospital.

He hadn't gone back with everyone else to visit Yuki, he hadn't answered the phone when it was the hospital on the other end of the line, and he hadn't brought anything else over to his cousin.

What had happened at the hospital that night still had Kyo utterly perplexed, and because of it, he had decided to sleep on the roof for at least a week after Yuki was back.

And the he heard it. The sound of rubber tires bouncing along a dirt road and the soft purr of the engine driving alongside it. Kyo's shoulders tense up and he unconsciously gripped the metal tiling on the roof.

"Welcome back!" Tohru shouted gleefully, waving her hand at them before the car had even stopped.

Yuki smiled through the window and eased himself out of the car, Hatori stepping out after him. Hatori reported something to Shigure while Tohru led Yuki inside, and Kyo cursed himself for not being able to hear. It was probably something about that bastard Akito, or what Yuki had to avoid.

_Jeez, some people just over react at every little thing. Isn't that right Shigure?_ Kyo smirked, inching over to the latter to hear what the people downstairs were saying.

"Yuki, remember to take it easy. Unless you want to wear a brace, I suggest that you not fight Kyo."

"Don't worry."

Kyo's face hit the roof as he deadpanned. _He isn't blaming me? Why the hell didn't he say something like: "That stupid cat is the one who wants to fight, not me"… what's wrong with him?_

"Did you hear that?" he heard Tohru ask from bellow him, looking up to the sound of Kyo's face hitting the roof top.

"It's probably just Kyo." Shigure waved it off. "Anything else Hari?"

"No, that'll be all."

Kyo pressed himself flat against the roof to not be seen as he heard the car door slam and Hatori drive off.

"So Yuki, are you hungry?" Shigure asked, probably hinting the he was hungry as well.

"Dinner's ready, just let me go call Kyo." Tohru said enthusiastically.

"Oh, um, I can do it." Yuki said suddenly, and the blood drained from Kyo's face as he heard Yuki's feet walk to the veranda.

"Kyo?" Yuki called up, not wanting to climb the latter after his injury.

Kyo pressed himself further into the tiling on the roof, hoping that he would suddenly become a chameleon and hide in the tiling.

"Kyo?" Yuki called again.

_Damn it, he's going to climb up next._ Kyo squeezed his eyes shut.

"Yuki, he might not be hungry, but he'll eat later, come in." Shigure called from inside and Kyo thanked his stars as he heard Yuki walking back inside.

Kyo sighed. Damn he was hungry, he would just have to wait.

Later

Kyo winced as the floor creaked under his feet. Why did the damn house have to be so noisy every time he was sneaking around? It was two in the freaking morning and he had school tomorrow, but he had to wait that long because Yuki and Tohru had insisted on cleaning the entire damn downstairs all because Yuki had wanted to learn.

Damn girls and their damn habits. Yes there were exceptions. *Cough* Uo *cough* Hana, but it seemed that Yuki was really becoming the Tohru type of girl. Kyo supposed he should be glad that Yuki wasn't turning into one of those Prince Yuki Fan club girls, but it was still seriously not normal.

Kyo snuck into the kitchen and grabbed some leftover rice from the fridge, flipping them into some plain rice balls.

What's school going to be like tomorrow? Hatori warned the school about Yuki's accident, and they were supposed to tell the students, but all the same, I wonder what's going to happen.

Morning

"L-O-V-E, WE LOVE YUKI! YUKI! YUKI! LALALALALALA LA! LALALALALALA LA!"

Kyo groaned audibly as the Yuki Fan club girls burst out from the school doors and bombarded Yuki, like usual.

_So no one cares that he's wearing one of Tohru's uniforms. Good? I guess?_ Kyo's eyebrow twitched as the fan girls surrounded a very-feminine looking Yuki wearing a very short blue skirt and a very flattering white, short-sleeved top.

"So Princess Yuki, would you like to sit with us at lunch?" the what's-her-face-vice-president asked Yuki, getting right in his face.

"Oh, I was going to have lunch with Tohru, but maybe tomorrow, ok?" Yuki smiled as he walked off, waving as he went.

Kyo's eyebrow twitched again. _Princess Yuki? What is this? Why don't they just skip to Yuki? And at least he's not calling Tohru, Miss Honda while he's like this, makes it seem more like friends and less like… I don't know… lovers?_

All eyes were on Yuki as he walked into the classroom, with his legs bare for all eyes, and his defined arms gleaming in the sun. It would have made more sense----for the way people were staring at him----if his skin was glowing instead of just showing. Even the guys were staring in awe. Kyo's ears popped up in annoyance as even the teachers stared, some even flirted with him.

"So Yuki, you having lunch with us?" Tohru's friend Uo asked him, leaning on the back of Tohru's chair.

"Yes, Tohru asked me to sit with you today, if that's ok." He added quickly.

"It isn't a problem." Hana murmured quietly, her nose stuck in a book.

"Oh Yuki!" a group if girls sang, waltzing up to him, "you remember the dress we bought you for the culture festival last year?" they hinted innocently, leaning too close to Yuki for anyone's liking but theirs'.

"Of course." Yuki cocked his head to the side, and Kyo could see some… remembrance of not liking that memory. Yuki remembered hating to wear that dress, even though he was wearing a skirt now?

"Well, we decided that dress didn't quite suit you, so we got you this instead."

Kyo's blood drained from his face as he looked at the skimpy dress, if it was enough cloth to actually call it a dress. It was a short empire dress with a bow right under wear the girl's breasts would have been, two spaghetti straps on each shoulder, and a skirt that would be at least seven inches short of reaching Yuki's knees.

Kyo's throat caught in his breath, no, his breath caught in his throat and he quickly glanced at Yuki, making sure that his damn cousin wouldn't wear it. He thought there was no more blood left in his cheeks, but when he saw Yuki's expression, even more blood drained from his skin, if possible.

Yuki was going to wear it.

It was obvious he didn't want to, but he was going to wear it to be nice. He was going to put on the stripper dress to be nice because he thought he was a girl.

_A Few Weeks Earlier_

"_Is that all we do? Is run away?" Yuki had looked up at him with those furiously determined eyes, his hands locked on Kyo's leg to keep him from running despite Kyo's claws embedded deeply in his shoulder._

"_Is that all we do?" Yuki screamed in desperation, ignoring the ripping, searing pain of Kyo's talons tearing through his skin._

"_Well I, for one, am tired of running!" Yuki fought against the pull of his monstrous-looking cousin with everything he had._

"_I don't want to do it anymore!"_

_Kyo had fought with all his might, only remembering that he wanted to tear his cousin limb from limb for doing this to him._

_For holding him there._

_It was over, and Yuki was dead-set on not letting him run._

_He was not going to just let it be over._

Present Time, Back in the Classroom

_If he hadn't done that, I wouldn't be here._ Kyo stared at the desk, long and hard, and then looked up, his eyes finding Tohru's expression worried for Yuki. _She wouldn't have stayed, I would be gone, I would be…_

Kyo looked back down at the desk, searching for a word to what would have happened to him if Yuki hadn't been there. His brow furrowed in pain. He would live in an unfeeling, cold, spiritless existence.

_I would be dead. I would have no reason to live._

"Yuki, please try it on!" the girls bubbled, holding it out to him. Kyo couldn't explain what happened next. He only knew one thing: he was furious.

They were taking advantage of Yuki while he couldn't defend himself as well. Those girls were forcing something on him, the one thing Hari had clearly said to not do at all costs, because it could make Yuki's switch permanent. They were forcing him into something he didn't want to do.

Kyo was out of his chair in seconds as Yuki reached for the dress, and just as Yuki's fingertips brushed the fabric, Kyo's fist connected with the wall on everyone's side, so he was standing between Yuki and the girls.

The senior girls and everyone behind them jumped back in shock, the dress slipping into a crumpled pile on the floor. Kyo didn't move from his protective stance even as Tohru shrieked: "Kyo!" in shock, worry and warning all at once.

Kyo blinked as he realized what he had done, and just how idiotic he looked right then. Everyone was staring.

"Damn it all!" he snapped, marching over to the door and throwing it open, nearly taking it off its track with the force behind his throw.

The roof.

That would be a good place to cool his head. What the hell had he just done anyway? And why?

He was glad that everyone in school had enough common sense to get the hell out of his way and he stormed to the door to the roof, it wouldn't be good if he accidentally broke a nose or two in his rage. It seemed that a reputation for the school's temper-student came in handy from time to time.

"Damn it all." He spat again, throwing the door leading to the roof open and slamming it shut behind him, not noticing the small click as the door opened again after he was halfway up the steps, or the small footsteps as someone followed him; he couldn't hear anything through the haze of his fury.

Please Review!

*I decided to use the Fruits Basket episode for this chapter, because it worked better for this than the Manga*


	3. Chapter 3

What I Want

He was glad that everyone in school had enough common sense to get the hell out of his way and he stormed to the door to the roof, it wouldn't be good if he accidentally broke a nose or two in his rage. It seemed that a reputation for the school's temper-student came in handy from time to time.

"Damn it all." He spat again, throwing the door leading to the roof open and slamming it shut behind him, not noticing the small click as the door opened again after he was halfway up the steps, or the small footsteps as someone followed him; he couldn't hear anything through the haze of his fury.

Kyo's feet seemed to leave imprints in the concrete as he stomped across the roof. He grabbed the latter to the second highest part of the roof (as the highest was inaccessible without bringing another latter up) and heaved himself up, sinking to the ground with his legs crossed, and then flopping onto his back, his arms behind his head.

He concentrated on slowing his enraged breathing, just watching the clouds roll by. Clouds had no cares in the entire world; he wished he could be like that. Great, now he was wishing he could be an inanimate object.

"Kyo?"

Kyo couldn't help his orange cat ears perking up in delight. Maybe Tohru had come to see him again, as this wouldn't be the first time she had chased him when he ran to a rooftop. He sat up quickly and turned, his excited expression doing a complete 180 when he saw his damn cousin of all people standing where Tohru should've been.

"What?" he snapped, looking quickly away from Yuki's luring grey-blue eyes.

"Well, I wanted to… thank you." Yuki said quietly, folding his hands in front of him. "And to, um, see if you were ok." He said even quieter.

Kyo's expression softened, but he still turned away from Yuki, his legs crossed and his hands draped over his knees. He took a deep breath, not exactly sure how to respond to Yuki's last words.

"Why… were you going to wear that thing?" he asked instead, his voice as gentle as he could make it.

"Because---" Yuki tried to defend himself, but Kyo cut him off again.

"You aren't very good at doing things for yourself, you know that, right?" Kyo asked almost silently, watching the clouds again.

Yuki bit his---her---his lip, looking down at the ground. "What others want is---"

"More important?" Kyo guessed, chopping Yuki's sentence off harshly. "But it really isn't, you need to look for what you want, not what others want." _Especially in your condition. _He added to himself.

"…………………I'm sorry." Yuki said finally after an almost painful pause.

Kyo whirled, hearing the water in Yuki's voice. _He's not crying, is he?_

But Yuki was gone. Kyo jumped to his feet and looked over to the lower area of the roof, but Yuki wasn't there either. He was just gone.

Kyo sighed almost regretfully and sat back down. He lay on his back, with his arms and legs spread so he resembled a star, staring at the clouds again. He wished he was like a cloud, with nothing to regret, or hope for, or hate.

After School

Kyo slid the paper door to Shigure's house open, kicking off his shoes as he stepped in.

"I'm home." He called quietly, not really expecting anyone to hear or even care, even though a small part of him hoped that Tohru would step out from the kitchen to welcome him home. She would be holding a ladle and one of those taster bowls, having forgotten to put them down before she walked out to see who it was, and she would smile, her wide smile brightening the room as she said---

"Welcome home Kyo."

Kyo opened his eyes, the smile falling off his face in seconds. He slowly looked away from the wall in front of him and curiously towards the kitchen and took a cautious step towards the empty doorway. Ok, that wasn't Tohru's voice, but…

He poked his head in and felt his eye twitch.

Yuki was standing at the stove, hovering over a pot of soup on the stove, a ladle in one hand and a taster bowl in another, a small smile touching his lips as he watched the broth simmer.

"Uh…" Kyo began, not knowing what the hell he was supposed to say, or even think in this situation.

Yuki cooking wasn't even a big deal, actually, the fact that the soup looked good wasn't even what had made Kyo's mind run blank.

"Tohru went to go visit her grandfather, and Shigure went to go see Hatori, remember?" Yuki asked.

"Uh…" Kyo repeated again.

Yuki----possibly the worst cook on the face of the earth----was preparing what looked to be edible, but not only that, he must've gone to the store or something. He had his hair pulled back with a thin headband, his bags still hanging beautifully around his eyes, and was wearing a short, flowered apron, with a pleated mini skirt and tight halter top under it.

Kyo felt the blush creep up his cheeks, so he had to whirl, resting against the outside of the door to wait until he got over the jolt of seeing Yuki dressed like that.

"Kyo?" Yuki called. Kyo's shoulders clenched up, and his face went cold. Why the hell was he so worked up?

"Do you want to taste this for me?" Yuki continued.

Kyo considered running to his room, but with Yuki acting like this, he would follow Kyo up to his room to make sure he was ok. So Kyo took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, shoving his hands into his pockets and striding into the kitchen, trying to seem as disinterested as he could be.

"Sure." He sighed, picking up the small bowl on the counter and raising it to his lips. Part of him wanted to run. The food might taste like it was poisoned, but Yuki was watching him with such anticipation… he couldn't walk away until he said it tasted good, or risk having to give up his head to Hatori and have the rest of his body to be dissected slowly by Akito.

Kyo's hand hesitated with the bowl less than an inch from his mouth, that part that remembered Yuki's past cooking experiences wanted to scream, but he forced his tongue to dart out and test the broth. His eyes went wide for a fraction of a second before he composed himself. It was… delicious, almost as good as Tohru's cooking, and that was pretty damn hard to match.

"What do you think?" Yuki pressed, desperate for the information.

"It good." Kyo admitted, swallowing the rest of the warm, tender broth. He was originally going to use the `It's ok… I guess', as he would've normally said, but Hatori's threat reminded him to keep everything bubbly, as he hadn't succeeded in doing this afternoon.

"I'm glad!" Yuki smiled widely, holding his hand out for the bowl. Kyo passed it to him, trying to ignore the electric shock when their fingers touched briefly, and quickly turned, trying to get out of that situation as fast as possible.

"Kyo, wait." Yuki said just as Kyo had one foot in the hallway. Kyo reluctantly turned back.

Yuki was no longer smiling, he had set the bowl down, along with the ladle, and was staring at the pot of broth in an almost pained, and very determined way. As if he was forcing himself to stay strong while saying whatever he needed to get off his chest---err… back.

"Yeah?" Kyo prompted, trying not to sound agitated or impatient, and failing miserably.

"…I've been thinking, a lot, mostly about what you said this afternoon, especially about the whole `doing something for myself' thing." Yuki gripped the edge of the counter, seeming to be fighting with himself again.

_Uh oh._ Kyo braced himself. Here came the punch he had been waiting for the past few days, ever since Yuki had wound up in the hospital.

"You're right." Yuki said finally.

"What?" Kyo gaped, his arms nearly dropping to his side in shock.

"I just… I don't know if I can have it. You know, the thing I want, so… I'm scared to look for what I want." Yuki bit his lip, the counter almost cracking under his vice grip.

"Well…" _Now what the hell am I supposed to say?_ "I would… just… go… for it?"

"Really?" Yuki looked up at him, awe and hope in his eyes.

"Sure." Kyo shrugged, hoping to keep the charade going for as long as possible. "I mean, if you want it, you gotta fight for it, right?"

"…You're right." Yuki repeated suddenly, but gently all the same.

Kyo nodded, preparing to turn to leave, when Yuki was standing in front of him from out of nowhere. Yuki looked up at him carefully, and slowly slipped his arms under Kyo's arms and around Kyo's chest, pulling him into a tight embrace, hiding his face in Kyo's chest, where Kyo's heart was pounding like a jackhammer.

"I want to find it. I really do, but…" Yuki whispered.

The rat stopped talking and looked up at the cat, who had completely frozen from the blow. Yuki moved closer, sliding up onto his tiptoes, closed his eyes, and slowly pressed his lips to Kyo's.

That thunderbolt of electricity threw Kyo's mobility back into his face with the force of a sludge hammer, and his hands leapt to Yuki's shoulders, with the intention to throw him across the room. But as he stood there, eyes wide as the full moon, he realized that he liked the warmth of Yuki's lips on his, and instead of hurling Yuki backwards, he pulled the rat closer, closing his eyes too, ignoring the half of him screaming for him to run, and embracing the half that wanted this to never end.

Later

Kyo was lying on the roof, looking up at the stars and listening to the cicadas chirping in the night air. Thank god Tohru and Shigure hadn't come home for another hour after that… ahem, incident. He was only just getting over the blush now, and he'd been lying on the roof for half and hour, trying to keep out of Tohru's sight, but mostly Shigure's. The dog would not let up until he knew everything, and then would be forced to tell Akito.

Kyo's brow furrowed from the frown creeping up his lips in thought. He had never noticed it before, but, Yuki actually was a little bit shorter than him. He didn't know by how much, but Yuki had definitely needed to get on his toes---even if it was just a little bit---to…

Kyo blushed furiously and pressed his hand over his mouth, sitting up abruptly. His lips were still warm, but maybe that was because the blush he had barely gotten rid of had just flared up ten-fold. Kyo swore colorfully under his breath. That blush probably meant another hour and a half before he could go back into the house.

"Kyo!" Tohru called from bellow. Kyo's hand shot up and touched his cheek lightly. It was cool, that meant that he could go down safely. He strode over to the latter and slid down it, landing lightly on the bottom.

"What's for dinner?" he asked casually, rubbing the back of his neck to make sure that was cool too, a final check to make sure the blush had disappeared.

"Yuki helped me make some cod and soba!" she bubbled.

"Cod, huh?" Kyo looked up at the sky one last time before it disappeared behind the ceiling of the veranda as the two ducked inside.

"Uh-huh." Tohru nodded brightly. "I suggested leeks and cod because you like cod and I know that he… uh, she… likes leeks, so I thought that---"

"He." Kyo said abruptly.

"I'm sorry?" Tohru turned to him confusedly, her hand on the sliding door.

"Yuki is a boy." Kyo said, keeping his expression perfectly smooth. _He's a boy, he isn't a girl, and will always be a boy._ He told himself harshly.

"Oh, but he… ok." She nodded.

"Did he, uh… say why…" Kyo started, trying to get this all out before they walked into the dining room, but for some reason, was finding it seemed strangely hard.

"Why what?" Tohru blinked.

Kyo smirked. As cutely clueless as always. "Did Yuki say why… he… uh, wanted to not do leeks?" he asked, trying to sound as disinterested as he could, his hand hovering on the door to the dining room.

"I think he said it was because you didn't like them, but I might have heard him wrong, he was talking very quietly." Tohru smiled.

Kyo nodded and opened the door, stepping over to his place and sliding down. He picked up his chopsticks, preparing to eat, without looking at anyone. Especially not at Yuki.

Saturday

"Where're you going?" Kyo asked Tohru as she stepped happily by him, on the way to the door.

"It's Saturday and we're out of a lot of things, I was going to go to the store." She answered, stepping into her shoes.

Kyo looked around. Normally, Yuki would've been the one to offer to carry her bags, but as he didn't see the rat anywhere…

"Do you want me to come? To carry your bags, I mean." He clarified, shrugging.

"Tohru!" Yuki called suddenly from the kitchen, sounding panicked.

"What's wrong?" Tohru called, running back into the kitchen, kicking off her shoes as she went, Kyo right behind her. It wasn't often that the rat panicked, although he had been more prone to it since his car accident.

"I don't know what I did!" Yuki apologized repeatedly as Tohru quickly handled the pan of stir fired Chinese cabbage and sprouts. She flipped it around with the spoon a little, holding it over the sink until the fire died out, but it left half of the food in the pan charred into a lump of black carbon.

Kyo sighed, rolling his eyes as he left the kitchen.

"I'm so sorry!" Yuki wailed again in his soft voice.

"It's fine!" Tohru assured him. Again. "Do you want to try again?" she offered.

"I… don't think I… should…" Yuki hesitated.

"It's ok, I can do it." Tohru said. Kyo smiled as he pictured her gentle smile from in the next room, the way she held the spoon so gently, the way she taught his damn cousin so kindly. She was amazing. Kyo smiled again.

"Is there anything else I can do?" Yuki continued.

"It's ok, you don't need to do anything."

"Can I… did you say that you needed to go to the store?"

"I was, but it's ok."

"I'll go for you." Yuki offered excitedly, determined to make anything up to her because of the burnt dinner and lack of materials to make another dinner.

"Ok, Kyo said he'd carry my bags, so maybe he'll go with you."

Kyo blanched, tripping and nearly taking out the paper door to Shigure's study.

"Kyo, are you ok?"

Kyo lurched mentally and flipped himself over three times and into a standing position. "I'm fine." He snapped, making it sound like one word.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come to the store with me." Yuki leaned toward him without actually taking any steps forward.

Kyo had the rejection line her had prepared on his tongue, and he opened his mouth, planning to let it just roll off his tongue without any emotion, but then his eyes locked with something. He had only glanced down a fraction of an inch, but it was enough.

Yuki's lips were a gentle and luring shade of red, a completely natural color, with none of that makeup stuff that, quite frankly, Kyo hated and found rather nasty. Once he had gone that fraction of an inch down, he couldn't stop his eyes from dropping lower. Yuki was wearing a light blue, long-sleeve, v-neck Henley, with three of the buttons open to reveal the very top of a white tank top.

As Kyo's eyes traveled lower, he noticed how Yuki wearing girls' clothes without anything of a girls' anatomy above the waist no longer really bothered him. It was a little like Ritsu, in a way, just without the insane apology antics every ten seconds.

Yuki's shirt was not tucked in, and it was hanging beautifully around his waist, the tiered skirt draping majestically around his knees, leaving just enough skin bare for desperate eyes. Kyo looked back up to Yuki's lips.

His first kiss.

Yuki had been his first kiss, and it hadn't been… bad either, just strange, different.

"Sure." He muttered, a little miffed about loosing that battle with himself. He had wanted to tell Yuki off, to make sure what had happened two days ago never happened again, but he had his ass handed to him, on a shining silver platter meant for and only for mocking him.

"Ok, I'm just going to get my shoes." Yuki smiled, practically skipping to the backroom. Kyo's eyes followed him for a little, but as Yuki bent over, he had to look away or risk taking out another few doors, so he whirled and stomped to the front door.

Kyo stepped into his shoes, lifting one foot up to pull the heel on, and then the other foot, repeating the same process. He straightened and looked at the door, seriously debating whether or not to just turn around. He could pull another `disappearing act' and go away for another four months until this whole Yuki-is-a-girl thing blew over, and when he got back, Yuki would just want to kill him. Everything would be normal and better that way.

He sighed, receiving his ass on a platter again and pulled the door open, shielding his eyes against the blinding red-orange sunset.

"Come on Kyo!" Yuki called, already a while up the path. Kyo stuck his hands in his pocket, giving up on fighting being nice to this fucked up version of his dumb-ass cousin and broke into a short jog to catch up with Yuki.

"Are you ok?" Yuki asked later on down the road, leaning forward the tiniest bit to look Kyo in the eye, though Kyo refused to meet his gaze. "You seem a little…" he paused, looking for the right word without sounding offending, "distracted." He said finally.

"A little." Kyo admitted through clenched teeth. His head lashed to the side and he forced himself not to snarl----or worse, attack----as yet another man wolf-whistled at Yuki. Kyo could sort of understand. Sort of. It still didn't make the action any less sickening.

Yuki was a knockout-drop-dead-gorgeous angel in the tight shirt and skirt, his legs made to look just a little more muscular thanks to the tiny wedge on the heels that Ayame had given him. That was another sickening thing about Yuki's condition, Yuki didn't hate his brother anymore, in fact, he really liked Ayame, though he still got mad sometimes when Ayame went overboard. In the least, Yuki was a fallen angel to any other man who didn't know that Yuki was actually a boy.

"I'll wait here." Kyo said in front of the supermarket door, not interested at all, he was concentrating too much on not killing the group of men that had gathered to stare at Yuki.

"Ok." Yuki smiled and headed for the door. Kyo's breath hitched as the group of men started to follow his cousin. His cousin.

Not while he was alive.

"Of all the…" he growled menacingly, his shoulders clenching up.

"What is it?" Yuki looked back, starting as Kyo grabbed his hand and pulled him inside.

Kyo didn't stop glancing over his shoulder to see if they were being followed until they were a good five isles away from the entrance, only then did he let of Yuki's hand and stop dragging him all around the store.

"Hurry up." He snapped, shooting another murderous glance in the direction of the supermarket's door. Yuki nodded, only slightly worried, selecting a few of fish from the meat counter. Kyo couldn't help but notice that every kind Yuki picked, were all Kyo's favorites.

XXX

Kyo had two bags slung over his right shoulder, leaving his other hand free to punch someone if they came too close, which had already almost happened once.

It was getting dark, and that was making Kyo edgy. There was a fair-sized group of people---men following them. Occasionally the whistled, or made other rude and obnoxious sounds, but after Kyo had almost relieved one man of his nose, they kept their distance.

Kyo spared another glance to Yuki again. Either he still hadn't noticed the group behind them, or he was just hiding it very well. Kyo suspected that his second theory was more accurate and a lot likelier to be correct.

Kyo growled as the group started speeding up, becoming a little bolder with their advances.

"Hey honey, you want to get a drink?"

"You're cute, anyone ever told you that before?"

"Why are you with carrot top over there?"

"Yeah, we're much more fun, why don't you come spend some time with us?"

Yuki's straight face tightened, and his mouth pressed into a thin line, but that was nothing compared to Mr. Temper right next to him.

Kyo was trying to stay calm, but it wasn't working. He was really pissed now. Really. Really. Pissed. Off.

His shoulders were bunched and his hands were clenched into fists so tight, he would break a knuckle if he squeezed them any tighter. His teeth were gritted, practically cracking from the strain, and a low mix between a hiss and a growl was steadily rolling off of his tongue. What pissed him of the most was the gall those guys had, to try to advance on Yuki like this with Kyo right next to him.

"Hey babe, I'm talking to you." One guy said roughly, coming out of nowhere, his hand tightly gripping Yuki's shoulder, with no intention of letting him go.

Kyo snapped.

He dropped the bags and lashed out, his fist trained on the chest of the man behind Yuki. If he was lucky, he would do some serious damage to the man with that first punch. The guy was going to loose that arm for laying it on Yuki, and Kyo was not going to give any mercy.


	4. Chapter 4

Memories and Emotions

"Why are you with carrot top over there?"

"Yeah, we're much more fun, why don't you come spend some time with us?"

Yuki's straight face tightened, and his mouth pressed into a thin line, but that was nothing compared to Mr. Temper right next to him.

Kyo was trying to stay calm, but it wasn't working. He was really pissed now. Really. Really. Pissed. Off.

His shoulders were bunched and his hands were clenched into fists so tight, he would break a knuckle if he squeezed them any tighter. His teeth were gritted, practically cracking from the strain, and a low mix between a hiss and a growl was steadily rolling off of his tongue. What pissed him of the most was the gall those guys had, to try to advance on Yuki like this with Kyo right next to him.

"Hey babe, I'm talking to you." One guy said roughly, coming out of nowhere, his hand tightly gripping Yuki's shoulder, with no intention of letting him go.

Kyo snapped.

He dropped the bags and lashed out, his fist trained on the chest of the man behind Yuki. If he were lucky, he would do some serious damage to the man with that first punch. The guy was going to loose that arm for laying it on Yuki, and Kyo was not going to give any mercy.

Kyo's fist connected with the man's nose and sent him flying into another one of the men. A full brawl started instantly, everyone attacking Kyo. Kyo took a few good punches, but mostly dealt them, when Yuki, out of nowhere, was fighting by his side and sending the men flying.

Later

Kyo straightened, cracking his knuckles to pop two of his fingers back into place, wincing as he did so. Yuki sighed, sliding his headband back into his hair and hitting his skirt a few times to fix the way it hung. They looked up, hearing the crickets as they noticed the crowd of people around them. They looked down simultaneously, finally noticing that they must have looked like quite a sight. A boy and a girl, standing surrounded by at least fifteen unconscious grown men. One by one, the crowd started clapping, a few even whistled.

Yuki grabbed Kyo's hand and Kyo grabbed the bags, both quickly dashing off.

Shigure's House

"You're late." Shigure accused as Kyo and Yuki ran in the door, slamming it behind them and leaning over, hands on their knees as they both panted, their tongues were practically hanging out of their mouths.

"We… ran into some… trouble." Yuki breathed heavily, straightening up and picking the grocery bags up off the floor.

"What sort of trouble?" Shigure pressed further.

"Nothing much, nothing that we couldn't take care of." Yuki smiled slyly, disappearing into the kitchen to help Tohru with the dinner.

Kyo smirked, his eyes popping as he realized what he was doing. He was smiling at Yuki. He shook his head and raced upstairs to his room, slamming his door in his haste. He flopped back onto his bed and closed his eyes, thinking.

_What is wrong with me? Yuki is a guy! And he's going to remember that soon and start to hate me again! _Kyo bit his lip and rolled over onto his side.

_That'll be for the better._ He tried to convince himself, desperately trying to ignore how much that sounded like a lie. Even to himself.

_It'll be better that way. Besides, I still have Tohru. _He told himself again, grinding his teeth into his lip until it bled.

"Kyo!" Tohru called from the bottom of the stairs. "Dinner's ready!"

Kyo forced himself up from the bed and walked over to the window, he could taste the liquid, red salt on his lip and he wanted to see how bad it was bleeding. He didn't need Tohru---or worse, Yuki---freaking out because he was bleeding. He managed to see his lip well enough in the dim light of twilight, and sighed when he saw that it was barely a miniscule cut. If anyone noticed, they probably would've thought his lips were just chapped.

He licked it before starting down the stairs, hesitating when he saw Tohru waiting for him at the bottom, one of her huge, loveable, goofy smiles lighting the entire house, but he decided to smile back, walking down the stairs a little faster than he normally would've.

He met her at the bottom, smiling back as they walked to the kitchen and sat down. The second he saw the rat, he scowled, yanking his bowl off the table and shoveling the food into his mouth as fast as he could without choking. He could feel Yuki's gaze on him and wanted to get away from it as fast as possible. Damn hormones.

"Kyo, you're going to inhale half of that into your lungs if you don't slow down." Shigure chided, chuckling. Kyo huffed in response.

He swallowed the rest of his food in one mouthful and slammed his bowl down in the table, beside him, Shigure sighed in annoyance.

"Done." Kyo snapped, mostly to himself before storming out of the house. He jammed his hands into his pockets, stalking off towards the woods until the hair on the back of his neck prickled and he heard someone else shut the front door behind them as they stepped outside. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"What?" he snarled, not budging an inch.

"Kyo, I need to ask you a favor." Yuki said in return.

"… Well!" Kyo prodded harshly when Yuki didn't answer.

"I think I need you to fight me."

Kyo blinked, and finally turned. This pessimistic Yuki wanted to fight?

Yuki shifted uneasily. "For the past few days, I've had this wired feeling in my muscles, and I think I need to use them. Really use them to stretch them out. Will you fight me?" he repeated, his hands folded in front of him.

"Only if you promise to actually fight back." Kyo finally said, giving in. "The last thing I need is you bailing in the middle of a fight and me kicking your lungs in."

Yuki bit his lip, but finally nodded. Kyo sighed and began rolling his shoulders. "Now?"

Yuki nodded, and spread his feet apart into a fighting stance. Kyo brought his fists up, curling them, and charged, he had been so wired for a fight for weeks. He was so glad that he could actually fight Yuki.

Kyo kicked, delivering the first attack. Yuki swiftly dodged, ducking under Kyo's leg to slam his cousin in the back.

Kyo recovered after pulling his head out of the side of the house. He roared, charging again only to barely dodge another vicious kick. It was almost as if this girl-Yuki in front of him didn't know the freakish strength that Yuki possessed, or wasn't quite remembering just how much he had.

Kyo punched, and then as the rat ducked, Kyo kicked, his eyes popping as he caught Yuki across the cheek. He had actually hit Yuki. Actually hit him. The next feeling that washed over him was regret, instant regret, and worry that he might've hurt Yuki, he knew he wasn't the only one worried when he heard Tohru shriek over by the door and Shigure sucked in a sharp, surprised breath.

Yuki's fall seemed so slow that Kyo swore he would've been able to do a lap around the house in the time it took for him to fall halfway to the ground, and then, he was gone. Kyo looked around frantically, and the rat materialized out of thin air behind him, kicking him sharply across the back of the neck.

Kyo felt two things as he flew forward, relief that Yuki wasn't hurt, and then pain, nothing but sharp pain as headlights came out of nowhere, to close for him comfort, and then, black.

Everything was black.

Meanwhile

"Kyo!" Tohru yelled, dashing forward, but Yuki easily beat her to his cousin.

"Hmph." Akito huffed, stepping out of the car with an obvious air of disinterest. "I guess I was going too fast, but you'd think with him being the cat, he'd have enough reflexes to get out of the way." He sniffed, glaring at the still form below him, lying motionless in front of the black sedan.

"Kyo! Kyo!" Yuki called his name over and over, shaking his shoulder to wake his cousin.

Kyo was sprawled limply on the ground, his front in a puddle of dirt and mud, blood saturating the ground around him, his unfocused eyes staring out into nothing.

"Kyo!" Tohru was by his side, shaking the boy with Yuki.

"What are you doing here Akito?" Shigure asked harshly.

Akito sniffed, a smirk appearing on his face after some time.

"I was in the neighborhood… and thought I'd come and see for myself if what Hatori said about Yuki's… condition," he chose the word after consideration, "was true." He glanced down at Yuki, the headband holding his hair back, and a skirt flowing around his knees as he crouched by Kyo, calling his name relentlessly.

"And now that I've seen it, Shigure, you might want to go call Hatori, the cat doesn't look too good." He glanced back down at Kyo, his lips curling up slightly in disgust as he leaned on the open car door.

Shigure was gone in a flash, yanking the phone out of the receiver and dialing Hatori's number so hard he was afraid he'd break the phone.

That was a lot of blood. A lot of blood. He thanked the stars when Hatori picked up on the first ring, and started spitting out words like an overflowing fountain the second he heard the click on the other end. He didn't even wait for Hatori to say hello.

_Please be ok Kyo! _He prayed.

Later (Yuki's POV)

Yuki gulped again, squeezing Kyo's hand. He ignored the pricking tears in the corners of his eyes and concentrated on Kyo. He had a large bandage covering the better part of his forehead, tracing over the top of his left eyelid.

Yuki's head tipped up as he caught the sound of Hatori's voice outside the hospital door.

"He'll be fine." Hatori was murmuring.

"Thank goodness!" Tohru bubbled, Yuki could imagine her hands clasped in front of her.

"But there was so much blood…" Shigure sounded so serious that it was almost scary.

"He wasn't wounded very much, he'll only have a few bruises on his ribs, the blood was caused by a large gash above the eye. All cuts, no matter how deep or long, bleed more than usual in that region."

"So that was it." Shigure returned.

Yuki looked back at Kyo, the bandage covering his forehead and at his black and blue torso, the bruises having already shown up.

_Yuki dodged another attack, barely moving his arm to get out of range, he ducked in and… Kyo was gone, flying, smashing through the door and slumping into the yard, the red Mark on his cheek a sign that Yuki, the only other one who could defeat the cat, had again defeated him. Yuki smirked, buttoning the top of his shirt back up, he had no need for it to be loose no that the fight was over._

Yuki blinked and shoot his head vigorously until his neck hurt. He grabbed his temples in his hands, his breathing at practically light speed.

_W-what… was that? _He coughed, shaking his head again.

His brow furrowed. This hadn't been the first time that had happened.

When Kyo had kicked him across the face, something stronger, and much more powerful had smashed through his mind with the force of a tidal wave.

Something.

A memory.

He was sure that was what it was, but it was hard to believe that it was his memory.

And after that second memory hit him, everything washed over his mind like a sea, of emotions, pain, longing, suffering, and… hope.

Yuki looked back down at Kyo.

Yes, I had felt hope. And something else, love. I remember everything, the car accident, and everything I did while I wasn't really me. A furious blush spread over his cheeks like wild fire.

_I kissed him. I kissed Kyo. And… I liked it. I did it because I wanted to._

Yuki looked back down at Kyo's face, his eyes eventually resting on Kyo's lips. He leaned forward, and then flipped himself back, flipping the chair while he was at it so the back of his head smashed against the linoleum floor.

_What's wrong with me? I was about to---_

The door banged open and Haru very nearly missed stepping right on Yuki's face.

"Yuki, are you ok?" Tohru leaned around Haru to look at him, Momiji just jumped over Haru, landing on Yuki's stomach.

"OOMPH!" Yuki cringed, his hands leaping to his throbbing middle. Momiji wasn't that heavy, but it was a different story when he was jumping on your vital organs.

"Yuki, why are you on the floor?" Momiji asked innocently, Yuki's eye twitched.

"Kyo needs his sleep, let's not disturb him." Hatori sighed, clearly aggravated that the Sohmas were (yet again) causing a scene in the hospital.

Yuki managed to look back up at Tohru, trying to hide the wincing he was sure he was making. "I'm fine Ms. H--- Tohru."

"…What?" Shigure asked, stuffing himself and Hatori into the room, so everyone was crammed right up to the walls of the tiny room. "What… did you say Yuki?"

"I said `I'm fine Tohru.' " Yuki repeated, editing out his slip, hoping that Shigure wouldn't get too suspicious, or Hatori for that matter either.

"Hmm." Shigure tapped his fan against his bottom lip, and then shrugged, turning back to the doctor.

"Good news Yuki! Kyo is going to be perfectly fine!" he yelled, his hands shooting into the air.

"But he needs sleep to get better." Hatori growled as calmly as he could, hinting that Shigure was going to have to `leave' if he didn't shut up right that second.

"Ok everyone! Family only until further notice, and even after that, only two of his friends will be allowed in here at a time!" a nurse shouted, trying to squish herself into the stuffed room to shoo them out.

"Oh, um, ok then, I'll wait for you guys outside!" Tohru said as happily as she could, waving as she exited.

The nurse rounded on the rest of them. "Well?" she prompted, one eyebrow raised.

"But we're all family." Momiji whimpered, jumping onto Haru's back and clinging to him. Haru didn't flinch or wobble at the sudden extra weight, no doubt used to Momiji's crazy personality already.

"Oh, um…" the nurse blinked, fumbling for some words. Haru smirked. She obviously hadn't been expecting that.

"Well, then I'm afraid we'll have to stick to our two visitors at a time rule!" she barked proudly, pointing to the door enthusiastically.

"Aww!" Momiji whined as Haru walked out of the room, refusing to let go of his cousin's back. Shigure quietly followed, waiting in the doorway for Hatori.

Hatori took advantage of the quiet opportunity to wave the nurse over.

"Yes?" she leaned in closely.

"I want you to put all the staff on red alert. If a girl of eighteen or so with brown, shoulder length hair comes in and asks for Kyo Sohma, tell her that he's been moved to a different hospital. Her name is Kagura Sohma."

"Red alert?" the woman repeated.

Hatori nodded.

"His life may depend on it." Shigure added, coming up out of nowhere and placing his hands on the poor woman's shoulders. She nearly jumped out of her skin.

Yuki's eyebrow ticked, and he was about to pound Shigure when he realized that his `former self' wouldn't have done that unless her life depended on it.

Speaking of girl… Yuki gulped and let his eyes slowly sink downwards, coming to rest on a frilly blue skirt, heeled sandals and tight white top, the clothes in Chinese style.

He gagged.

He was wearing a skirt, even if it was covered with mud and Kyo's blood from the road. The things he avoided his entire life because of how girly he already looked were clinging to his body like wet paper towels. Girls' clothing.

"Yuki, would you like to stay in here with him for a while?" Hatori asked politely.

Yuki's first reaction was to snap something he'd probably regret later and stomp out of the room, and then wait at home until the stupid cat finally woke up so he could torment Kyo again.

But something else arose. That memory again.

_Flashback_

"_Yeah?" Kyo prompted, trying not to sound agitated or impatient, and failing miserably._

"…_I've been thinking, a lot, mostly about what you said this afternoon, especially about the whole `doing something for myself' thing." Yuki gripped the edge of the counter, seeming to be fighting with himself again._

_Uh oh. Kyo braced himself. Here came the punch he had been waiting for the past few days, ever since Yuki had wound up in the hospital._

"_You're right." Yuki said finally._

"_What?" Kyo gaped, his arms nearly dropping to his side in shock._

"_I just… I don't know if I can have it. You know, the thing I want, so… I'm scared to look for what I want." Yuki bit his lip, the counter almost cracking under his vice grip._

"_Well… I would… just… go… for it?"_

"_Really?" Yuki looked up at him, awe and hope in his eyes._

"_Sure." Kyo shrugged. "I mean, if you want it, you gotta fight for it, right?"_

"…_You're right." Yuki repeated suddenly, but gently all the same._

_Kyo nodded, preparing to turn to leave, when Yuki was standing in front of him from out of nowhere. Yuki looked up at him carefully, and slowly slipped his arms under Kyo's arms and around Kyo's chest, pulling him into a tight embrace, hiding his face in Kyo's chest, where Kyo's heart was pounding like a jackhammer._

"_I want to find it. I really do, but…" Yuki whispered._

_The rat stopped talking and looked up at the cat, who had completely frozen from the blow. Yuki moved closer, sliding up onto his tiptoes, closed his eyes, and slowly pressed his lips to Kyo's._

_End Flashback_

Yuki furrowed his brow and then nodded slowly, pushing himself out of the awkward position on his back, making sure that his repulsive skirt didn't ride up any more.

"Then we'll leave you be, wont we Shigure? Or you might just find a new novel of all your weaknesses and every perverted thing you've done since you were ten on the market."

Yuki shivered, Hatori's eyes were practically black.

"Of… course." Shigure shivered, gliding out of the room with a distant look on his face. Apparently, Yuki hadn't been the only one startled by his death glare that could kill an army. Yuki mouthed "Thank you," to Hatori as they left, closing the door behind them.

"Are you his girlfriend?" the nurse asked suddenly, right in Yuki's face.

"Oh, I'm not---!" Yuki skittered back, trying frantically to deny it.

"You must be really special to Sohma-kun, I mean, if his family left you alone with him. Normally we wouldn't allow this, but I would want my boyfriend to come visit me in the hospital if I ever got sick." She smiled brightly, and skipped out of the room, shutting the door firmly behind her.

Yuki gulped at the atmosphere in the room. He was alone with Kyo, he was nervous, he was embarrassed for wearing these disgusting clothes, he couldn't take his eyes off Kyo and… Yuki gulped again… he really wanted to kiss those lips again.

Yuki righted the chair and cautiously slid into it again, making sure to stay far enough away so he didn't accidentally take advantage of Kyo while he was unconscious and kiss him.

Another memory flooded his mind.

_Flashback_

_Yuki was on his tiptoes, his lips against the cat's._

_Yuki flinched as Kyo's hands shot up to beat him to a pulp, but he forced himself to stay motionless. His eyes almost flew open as, instead of taking his head off, Kyo gripped Yuki's shoulders and pulled him closer._

_Yuki smiled. Thank god, he had found it. He had found what he had wanted._

_End Flashback_

Yuki licked his suddenly dry lips, and wrenched his eyes away from his cousin's face. He was already blushing 56 different shades of red, he didn't need to kiss that cat again and have another reason to be embarrassed. And what if Kyo woke up? He was trying everything to convince himself from doing it, going as far to try to tell himself that Akito would walk in the room the second he had pressed his lips to Kyo's.

Yuki shook his head viciously. He would need neck therapy if he kept this up.

The rat sighed. He had come to a few conclusions in the hour he had sat unmoving my Kyo's side. And no matter how hard he wished they weren't true he couldn't deny that they were true.

_One: I kissed Kyo. I made the move._

_Two: I… I want to do it again. A lot. _He added as an after fact.

_Three: Kyo didn't reject me when I kissed him, he… welcomed it._

_Four: My girl side fell in love with Kyo somewhere along the way._

_Five: When I remembered that I was me---a boy---those feelings didn't go away, in fact, they grew stronger._

Yuki gulped again and took a deep breath, forcing himself to think the last one.

_And Six: I am in love with Kyo Sohma. After all these years of hate, the rat has fallen in love with the cat._


	5. Chapter 5

Worrisome

Yuki took a deep breath and slid his closet open, selecting a dress from one of the hangers. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He thought the world would end and the apocalypse would devour the sun before he ever put on a dress (in his right mind) voluntarily.

He couldn't believe it, but that's what he was doing. He held the t-shirt dress up to his form in the mirror, and even though the thought sickened him, he had to admit that he looked good in girls' clothing. He couldn't believe what he was doing.

Simply. Could. Not. Believe. It.

But it was the only way. Kyo had accepted him that way once, but the cat was known to be very fickle, especially in emotions and feelings. If Yuki wanted to get any closer to Kyo, any closer at all, he would have to pretend to be something that he wasn't. If he needed become a girl, he would become a girl. Yuki sighed and dropped the towel around his waist, letting it fall with a dull thud to the floor.

He stepped into the neck of the dress and drew it up his body, fumbling around on his back until he managed to pull the zipper up. He and Ms. Hon---no, Tohru were going out today to do some shopping with her friends Uo and Hana. He had to call her Tohru, and call Ms. Uotani, Uo, and Ms. Hanajima, Hana. That was what his girl side had called them, so he had to keep that up. Tohru wouldn't mind, in fact, when he had called her that the other day after getting home from the hospital, she had looked glad that he was relaxed around her.

Yuki slid the headband into his hair, making sure to keep his bangs down the way his girl self had done and stepped quietly out of his room. He paused in front of Kyo's door; fighting with his feelings again until he carefully gripped the knob, and pulled the door back an inch. He was so glad that Kyo was home. Even if he needed crutches and had to stay in bed most of the day, it was better than worrying about him while he was at the hospital. Hatori had insisted at the hospital that the family doctor should care for Kyo at home, and because he was talking to a female attending, he easily won that argument. Tohru had protested at first, but Hatori had quickly convinced her that him transforming at home because of the stress would be a thousand times better than him transforming at the hospital.

Kyo looked like the angel of fire, sleeping with one arm up above his head, the other one loosely under the blanket. His flaming orange hair might as well have been shimmering for the way Yuki was staring at him. He looked so peaceful, but then again, it was probably just the meds.

It was a rarity to see Kyo sleep in, that usually only happened when he was really sick or when it was raining, so Yuki stared as long as he could, savoring every moment that he could look at Kyo like this.

"Oh! Good morning Yuki!"

Yuki jumped a foot at the sudden new voice. He had been so preoccupied with Kyo that he hadn't even heard Tohru walk up to him.

"Is Kyo awake yet?" Tohru asked worriedly, poking her head around to peak through the door with Yuki. Yuki just shook his head, keeping his mouth closed. He didn't need to use his voice to savor Kyo like this.

"Well, he'll wake up soon. And we can leave him a note telling him where we went. Speaking of which," she said suddenly, plunking a fist into her open palm, "Uo and Hana should be here soon." She turned on the spot and trotted down the stairs.

Yuki looked back at Kyo, before forcing himself to pull the door closed. Kyo wasn't going anywhere, and he did promise that he would go with Tohru and her friends.

Later

"So Princess, what were you looking for today?" Uo asked Yuki, leaning forward to see around Tohru and Hana.

Yuki twitched. Princess. He had completely forgotten about that new nickname. He had long since gotten used to Uo calling him `Prince', but Princess was pushing it a little bit. Who the hell came up with that anyway? Damn his fan club.

"I don't know, I thought I'd just look for something that I like." Yuki shrugged sweetly, forcing himself to let the `Princess' thing slide.

There was a price to pay for everything, and in the case of getting closer to Kyo, it wasn't a terrible price, but it was pretty damn near outrageous in Yuki's book. The dresses, the skirts, the heels, the sandals, the hair accessories, the jewelry, the coats, the too short shorts, the no pants, the scandalous school skirt, the tight shirts… Yuki just hoped it would be worth it in the end. There was a very high chance that Kyo would reject him, and then where would he be?

Love is painful. Akito had been telling them that their entire lives, and enforcing it violently to prove the nonexistent point, but if there was even one idiot to fight for a cause, then the cause was never lost. (Note: I love that quote!)

"Let's go here first." Hana said suddenly, eyeing a very creepy looking gothic store, with barely any lighting in it at all, and Yuki was actually surprised that severed human heads weren't hanging front the ceiling in front of the entrance.

It was hard for even Tohru and Uo to hide their really feelings, but they quietly agreed, suggesting that they might want to go to the food court sooner than they'd originally planned. (AKA: it was a hugely lame excuse for getting out of the store as fast as possible.)

Yuki cringed away from nearly everything in the store, while guys so many piercings that their skin was barely visible eyed him like he was an angel. Yuki shivered again. Why the hell did he let himself be looked at like that?

Hana selected a new cloak and a new lacy black dress, along with a black frilly umbrella and purchased them quickly. Uo shot several people death glares when they stared at Yuki, and Yuki was practically kissing her feet in thanks, and the ground when they finally left the store.

The four stopped for lunch before heading off to a nearby clothing store, where upon Uo forcefully shoved Yuki over to another dress rack with Tohru in tow and she and Tohru had handed him several different garments.

He forced a smile and his neck practically squeaked as he looked up at them. "I'd be happy to try them on." He said through gritted teeth. _Oh yes, oh so very, very happy. Christ almighty, what girl started the stereotype that girls need to go on a shopping spree once a week and practically blow all their money? Whoever she is, she should be shot. And it doesn't help that I'm as jumpy as a freaking jumping bean to get back to check on Kyo._

Yuki glanced around for a clock. _CALM DOWN!_ He mentally kicked himself. Repeatedly. _We've only been out for half an hour! God, this'll take all day,_ he groaned inwardly, not letting anyone else hear him as he stepped into a dressing room. He couldn't believe he was doing this.

Simply. Could. Not. Believe. It.

Meanwhile

Kyo moaned. His head felt like the old Yuki had taken a sludge hammer to it, and then finished the job off with a stapler to his temples and then someone had pelted rocks at him with a pitching machine.

He forced himself over onto his side and immediately had to bite back his scream when something burned like an inferno in his side. He gingerly removed the covers to look down at the huge wound on his hip.

Good, it didn't opened again. What time is it anyway?

He was so hot, and his bed sheets were soaked with sweat. He had to move---maybe the couch---cooler---might feel more comfortable.

Kyo grabbed the side of his bedside table with one hand and the windowsill with his other, forcing himself up while using every muscle to keep his back straight. It was an unbelievable strain, but it was better than bending and injuring himself more.

He finally managed to stand, and the world whirled beneath him. His hand shot out and grabbed the first thing it touched, clinging to it like a lifeline. He couldn't find the ground. It was on the ceiling, no, the floor, no, the walls, no, the ceiling.

Kyo groaned and shut his eyes, pressing his hand painfully over his eyelids. He grabbed the doorframe with two hands and slid the door open, gingerly poking his foot out and sliding down the hallway, his hands pressed to the walls, his feet always firmly on the ground, sliding, until he found the stairs using just his touch and began to work his way downstairs.

His mind was scrambled, and he had to force himself not to open his eyes, at least until he got to the bottom of the stairs so he didn't accidentally fall down the remaining ones. He breathed a sigh of relief when his toe hit the floor, and like the idiot that he was, he opened his eyes.

His legs locked and his arms refused to move. His eyes wouldn't close---it took too much energy, so Kyo was forced to watch the ground fly at him, coming closer to hit face every painfully slow second as he plummeted towards it.

And then hands shot out of nowhere, grabbing his torso, keeping his head from colliding with the ground. Kyo's lungs felt like they had just been through drowning, and he had used all of his energy just getting down the stairs, he couldn't find the strength to even look up to see who had caught him. They must've been mad about something, he could hear them yelling, but only a few bits of each sentence actually made it to his ears.

"Are you----why did you get out of bed?----you came down the stairs?----what were you thinking?----idiot!----where were you going!----were you going?----the couch?----can you walk?---come on Kyo---"

Kyo forced his legs to wobble forward, they had said something about couch, and walking. That was what he wanted, so he forced himself to move with them, despite how hard his body fought to keep him completely immobile.

The ground left his feet, and his back found the couch, and someone's hand was lowing his head gingerly onto a pillow. It was cold—that hand—and small. He moaned happily and leaned into it. He felt it tense, but he didn't care, it felt so good, so cold against his blistering skin. The hand left his neck and he whimpered, his skin instantly igniting again. At first there was nothing, and then it was back, resting gently against his cheek.

Gods, it felt so good. He wouldn't have cared if it was the abominable snowman above him, it was keeping him cool, he sighed in gratitude as the hand traveled to his forehead and rubbed his head against it. It tensed again, but then drifted back to the side of his neck and stayed there. Kyo sighed happily and let himself fall into the darkness. It was deep, heavy, thick and all together uncomfortable, but sleep sounded so tempting, he couldn't help it.

A Few Minutes Earlier

Yuki was walking home, if you can even call it walking. Actually, he was trotting so fast, he might as well have been running. He had finally convinced Uo that he needed to get home to check on Kyo, making up all sorts of crap just to get back.

As he reached the dirt road to Shigure's, he shot off, streaking through the trees, no longer needing to worry about running into someone if he was going too fast. It was easy to dodge unmoving trees, but people that moved while you did, and sometimes dodged the same way that you did, making a collision much more likely, were a lot harder to run around.

The bag of clothing swung in time with his feet as he jerked it along, and he thought a piece of clothing bounced out of the bag along the way, but he didn't care, being far too excited to get home and to see Kyo.

Yuki bit his lip. This proved it. It wasn't just a crush. It had nearly killed him to be away from Kyo for two hours while Kyo was sick, he wouldn't have acted that way if it was just a crush. No he was irrevocably, without a shadow of a doubt, 100 percent in love with Kyo. If Kyo accepted him, and if he continued to pretend to be a girl…

Yuki shook his head. Marriage seemed millenniums away, he didn't even know if the cat would accept him.

_The cat falling in love with the rat? Yeah right._ Even if fate itself had wanted them together, even then, Kyo might not want him. The stupid cat would even fight fate to get out of it, Yuki was sure Kyo would at least try, and he wouldn't force Kyo into anything he didn't want to do.

Yuki bit his lip viciously. _Kyo probably loves Tohru anyway, and I wouldn't be helping if I tried to get between them. _His eyes closed sadly as his previous thoughts flashed through his mind. _If there is even one idiot to fight for a cause, then the cause was never lost. I need to try, or I wont be able to live with myself, I have to try._

Yuki fumbled with the key, nearly dropping it three times in his nervousness. Going inside meant seeing Kyo, and seeing Kyo meant that his words needed to have some action thrown at them, or they'd be useless. _Actions speak louder than words,_ he reminded himself and pulled the door open. _What's with me today? All of these sayings… maybe I'm still not all the way sane yet._

He kicked off his shoes, startled by a noise on the stairs, wasn't Kyo supposed to be in bed? Was it a burglar? He gripped the doorframe and leaned around slowly, peeking infinitesimally at the source of the noise.

Kyo.

Looking like he was about to die standing up.

Falling.

And not trying to stop himself from hitting the ground.

Yuki tore around the door and lunged, catching the cat's arm and yanking him back up, away from the unforgiving floor and into a tight hold, so his hands were firmly around the Kyo's chest, and Kyo's head landed limply on his shoulder. He didn't even know how the cat was still standing, though it must've taken all of his energy and he was nowhere near straight.

He felt himself heat up, his anger shooting through the roof, and words erupted from his mouth, trying to find anyway to express his worry.

"Are you stupider than I thought! Why the hell did you get out of bed? You came down the stairs by yourself? What in god's name were you thinking? You're still under the medication and in shock no less! You idiot! Where the heck were you going anyway?"

Yuki's flow of furry stopped as he continued to look at the limp, orange haired boy on his shoulder. Kyo's chest was heaving, like it was hard for him to get breath, and he was drenched with sweat, Yuki wasn't even sure that the cat could understand him.

_He probably soaked his bed with sweat and it was too hot, so he tried to move. Am I too hot against him? Should I bring him to the couch?_

"Kyo? Were you going to the couch? Do you want me to help? Here, can you walk?" the questions continued to spew from his mouth, and he mentally smacked himself for asking too many pointless things.

"Come on Kyo." He encouraged, tugging gently on the boy after repositioning Kyo on him, letting Kyo lean all of his weight on him.

Kyo's leg trembled, and was forced forward. Yuki took that as a `yes, I can walk' and pulled him forward, doing most of the work.

He had to reposition Kyo against him several times before finding the best way to lower his cousin onto the couch. He wrapped one arm firmly around Kyo's shoulders, and placed one hand on the back of his neck, using his weight as leverage to let Kyo sink into the couch, leaning down with him as Kyo went down.

He sighed audibly when Kyo was finally resting against the couch and let himself sit on the couch with his cousin, breathing deeply to try to calm his heart, fluttering like a hummingbird's.

Kyo moaned and his head rolled to the side. Yuki looked back down to make sure he was all right, and Kyo moved again. Nuzzling into his hand. Yuki's breath hitched and his hand instinctively jerked back, his lungs getting tighter when Kyo whimpered regretfully, almost calling for his hand.

Yuki gulped and reached out his hand again, hesitating a few times before he finally resting his palm against Kyo's cheek, cupping the boy's face gently and stroking the tanned skin with his thumb. He ran his hand up to Kyo's forehead to see if his fever was worse than this morning.

_His skins on fire! I wonder if my hand feels cool, is that why he's---_

Yuki's breath caught in his throat and his muscles tensed again as Kyo rubbed his forehead against his hand.

_He's definitely incoherent, but… he seemed to like it when…_

Yuki slid his hand down further and cupped the side of Kyo's neck in his fingers, his eyes widening considerably as a low rumbling traveled up from Kyo's chest, making his throat and upper torso vibrate.

_Is he… purring?_ Yuki's mouth fell open with a small `pop' in disbelief, and then turned up into an adoring smile.

_Kyo purrs._ He smiled wider.

Kyo's breathing slowed and Yuki was soon sure that he had fallen asleep.

_I should probably leave, go make some soup or something… but…_

As Yuki stared down at Kyo, sleeping so peacefully beneath him, pressed into his hand… he couldn't bring himself to move. He didn't want to move.

Yuki sighed and shifted on the couch, bringing his legs up onto the cushions and laying down by Kyo, his head resting on his cousin's shoulder.

_I really don't want to move, and Tohru wont be back for another hour or so… I can stay here._

The thought made his heart soar into his throat, forcing a smile to break through his mask and form on his lips. The vibrations below him as Kyo purred, and the sound of the rumbling was so soothing, Yuki felt like he could've stayed there forever.

Later

Kyo groaned and rolled onto his side, promptly falling off the side of the couch. He yelled out as pain like even Yuki couldn't administer shot through his side, forcing him to clutch at it like a sniveling four year old that had just skinned their knee for the first time.

"Kyo! Are you ok?"

Kyo refused to open his eyes, worried that his vision would whirl like it had before and he would end up hurting himself again. What had happened anyway? He was falling, and then… he didn't remember anything.

"Come on, I'm just going to help you up to the couch." The voice continued, and small hands wrapped around him. Kyo was vaguely aware of standing, and being laid back on the couch again, but his mind was elsewhere.

_I know that voice…_ "Yuki?" he asked unsurely, still refusing to open his eyes.

"Are you hungry?" said person answered. "You haven't eaten anything in three days."

Kyo nodded feebly, finding himself unable to do anything else. The small hand on the back of his neck left and he couldn't help but whimper.

"K-Kyo?" Yuki stuttered.

Kyo froze. _What. Did. I. Just. Do? I whimpered when Yuki pulled away! What the hell is wrong with---oh._ It was back, everything that had happened. Yuki had caught him, brought him to the couch and comforted him. He had whimpered then too when Yuki had tried to leave.

Oh Jesus.

"Kyo?" Yuki repeated, sitting softly on the couch and tenderly touching Kyo's cheek with the tips of his fingers. _Be overly kind. Be overly kind. You would've done that a few weeks back._

"I'm fine." Kyo moaned. "I just… just landed on my side harder than I thought, I hit it the wrong way or something." He covered quickly.

"Does it hurt?" Yuki's hand flew to his hip, and another moan burst from Kyo's throat, his head rolling slightly back.

"I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?" Yuki's hand was gone, and Kyo was praying to every god there might be that he wasn't blushing. That moan hadn't been of pain. It was… well, you know… Yuki had been a little close there after what Kyo had been thinking about.

_Bad thoughts. Bad. Thoughts. Stop it! _He mentally smacked himself.

"I'm fine." He repeated.

"Here, I'll go get you something to eat." Yuki rose, taking the cool air with him as he left. Kyo was gnawing viciously on his tongue to not whimper again.

_What's… wrong with me? I… am… not… falling in……… I can't possibly be. It isn't possible for the cat to love the rat, and even if I did, there's no way he would return those feelings._

He shook his head after he was positive that Yuki had gone back to the kitchen, clearing the beginning of tears from his eyes.

_I hate huge injuries like this, your emotions are out of whack and through the roof. _He growled at himself, testing his eyes with his thumb before Yuki walked back into the room. As Yuki set the tray of soup on the small table, Kyo was suddenly aware that he wouldn't be able to eat it. There was no way he'd be able to sit up.

"Uh…" he began, trying to let Yuki know, but his voice was also surprisingly weak.

"Can you sit up?"

"Um… no." Kyo admitted, finally opening his eyes and staring right into the beautiful amethyst eyes of his cousin.

"Here." Yuki stepped over and slid his arm under Kyo's shoulder, slowly lifting him up.

Kyo was a tomato, at least, that's what he felt like, he was sure his face matched something more like an over-ripe beet.

He was finally sitting up, leaning heavily on Yuki's shoulder with Yuki keeping him up with that hand around him. Kyo was just glad that he could hold his own head up.

If he thought he was blushing before, it was nothing compared to when Yuki picked up the spoon, dipped it into the soup, blew on it and then held it out to him.

"Here." Yuki offered, holding it right in front of Kyo's mouth.

"Uh." Kyo blanched.

"You can't feed yourself, right? Just eat." Yuki demanded, seeming seriously flustered.

Kyo's eyes whipped to his cousin at his last statement. Yuki didn't talk like that, at least… not anymore. But that would have to mean… no, why would he still be wearing girls' clothes if he remembered?

Yuki mentally freaked. He had just snapped at Kyo. His girl side never would've done that. He tried to erase it with a quick smile to his cousin.

Kyo blinked once more before his eyes shifted back to the spoon.

_Yuki… seems to not hate this… in fact, quite the opposite. Then should I...?_ Kyo gulped and dipped his head down, taking the spoonful of soup in his mouth and swallowing. He couldn't help but smirk when he saw the smile on Yuki's face widen a fraction of an inch. It was just a little bit, but it was obvious that Yuki liked helping Kyo like this.

Kyo was laid back down half a bowl of soup later, and as Yuki tried to stand to leave, Kyo's hand shot out and grabbed Yuki's arm before his brain had even sent the message to.

"Wait. For just a second." Kyo bit the inside of his lip, so that Yuki couldn't see it.

"What is it?" Yuki sat back down, much to Kyo's relief. That meant he wouldn't have to use that strength to pull him back down.

"Just a second." Kyo repeated, gripping Yuki's arm firmly but gently.

The rat's eyes widened before relaxing, and he pulled his feet up onto the couch, sighing contently.


	6. Chapter 6

Not Like This

Kyo groaned as he awoke, and was very, very aware that he was lying on something warm. And soft. And sleeping.

He managed to work up the energy to turn his head to the side. Yuki looked like an angel when he slept, his angelic features relaxed, his arms lax at his side, her---

Kyo smacked himself mentally, being unable to do it physically because of his lack of energy and ability to move.

_Yuki. Is. A. Boy._ He smacked himself, his teeth gritted so tightly they hurt. _Not. A. Girl._ He smacked himself again for measures and shifted so he wasn't leaning so much of his weight on his cousin, who looked incredibly fragile and vulnerable at the second.

Kyo sighed contently_. I might as well enjoy it while he doesn't remember. I'm not going to take advantage of him or anything… just…_ Kyo looked back at Yuki and reached his hand up, stroking the velvety skin on Yuki's forearm, _I don't know how long this will last, and I don't want to waste it._

Kyo wasn't exactly sure when he'd fallen in love with the rat. At the hospital when he'd brought Yuki his clothes? The kiss? When they had fought together and not against each other after going grocery shopping? When Yuki had taken care of him, not a few hours ago?

All that time they had spent not fighting?

Kyo groaned and pushed himself up off Yuki, his strength finally returning to him now that the medicine was wearing off. His headache could still kill an elephant, but he would deal, it was better than being under all those drugs that Hatori had forced down his throat when he'd come home. His brow furrowed as he looked at Yuki.

He'd never felt love before, not like this. Tohru had been a caring… crush for a while, but towards Yuki, it felt so much stronger. But then again, Kyo had never felt love before, not even for his parents, and from Tohru, it had just been the caring returned, Kyo didn't even know if this even was more than a crush. Maybe he was making a big deal out of nothing.

His sighed and threaded a hand in his hair, leaning forward and resting his elbow on the coffee table.

"What am I supposed to do?" he whispered to himself.

"Oh Kyo! You're up!"

Kyo sprang from the couch, the voice completely catching him off guard, and in his hangover state from the medicine, he thought it was Momiji for a moment and actually sighed when Tohru walked in.

"Yeah." He nodded slowly.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly, noticing the sleeping Yuki on the couch.

"Alright," I guess. _My side feels like it's on fire because I jumped up so fast, not to mention that I'm confused as hell about Yuki._

"I'm glad," She smiled.

Kyo sighed. Bless her and her blissful ignorance; it always saved him so much embarrassment—if nothing else.

"Are you hungry?" she continued, her hands clasped in front of her.

"Not really."

He was going to say, `I just ate a few hours ago,' buy she wouldn't say that was enough. A half a bowl of soup in a little over four days is never enough—even for a cripple—in Tohru's book.

"Ok," she shrugged hesitantly. "I'll fix something up for you whenever you want it." She said over her shoulder as she walked out. Kyo took the opportunity to sink back and melt into the couch.

His head flopped back into his hands.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked again, making sure that Tohru wouldn't be able to hear later.

Next Day

Yuki was literally bouncing up and down in his seat, glancing left every two minutes.

1 hour.

58 minutes.

56 minutes.

54 minutes until school ends.

"And before school ends, I'd like to close with a quick pop spelling quiz."

The class erupted in groans, calling Yuki back to attention. _Pop quiz? This late in the day?_

Ah, what the hell, he knew all the words, and it would at least give him something to do until school ended.

"Ms. Aika, please give me the spelling of your word, the definition, the part of speech, and use it in a sentence. Your word is malady."

"M-A-L-A-D-Y, it's a… disease, or a disorder… in an animal." the girl bit her lip. "Noun, I get terrible and painful malady migraines."

"Good, A." the teacher returned.

Yuki blanched. _Disease or disorder of an animal?_

"Mr. Kiiro, laceration."

"Oh shoot." The boy mumbled and the class giggled. "Um, L-A-C-E-R… A-T-I-O-N… um… noun, a rough… jagged tear or wound."

Yuki gulped, the image of Kyo's gash in his side fresh in his mind.

"The laceration I receive in the car crash had reopened during my routine jog." The boy continued, more confident now. Yuki swallowed again.

"Good, B+. Mr. Midorriiro, please do paramour."

"Uh… P-A-R-A-M-O-U-R, it's a noun… it means someone significant or a married person."

"Or…?" the teacher prompted.

"Or… a lover." The boy nodded after a moment.

Yuki twitched.

"Yuki, are you ok?" Tohru leaned over to whisper to him. Yuki nodded, a quick, jerking nod.

"Ms. Aoiro, moribund."

"M-O-R-I-B-U-N-D, adjective, in a dying state or near death. Um…" she paused as she thought of her sentence, giving Yuki's brain just enough time to relive another horrifying image with the word.

Kyo was falling, his arms lax by his side and his dull, lifeless eyes only half open as he plummeted for the floor.

"Ms. Sohma?"

Yuki swallowed, trying frantically to get that image out of his head. _Kyo's ok. I caught him, he wasn't dead, he wasn't dying. He. Is. Fine._

"Yuki!"

Yuki jolted back up, nodding to the teacher. "I'm sorry, I'm ready."

"…Sal…vation." The teacher said finally, scrutinizing Yuki.

"S-A-L-V-A-T-I-O-N, to save or protect from harm, verb, the salvation of the… boy… was due to the medics arriving at the scene of the accident in time." Yuki stuttered.

The teacher paused, eyeing Yuki with his arms crossed. "Ms. Sohma, are you feeling fine?"

Yuki twitched again at the `Ms' but managed to nod. Jesus Christ, what he wouldn't give to come in to school tomorrow and let everyone know that he remembered everything. But he couldn't.

"Are you sure?" the teacher continued. "You look a little flushed."

Malady. Laceration. Moribund. The words were etched into his mind and wouldn't go away. Fate hated him.

His eyes widened as the other two flashed across his eyes like fireballs.

Salvation…

Paramour. He felt the heat in his face shoot through the roof again.

Better use it to my advantage while I can. "Well, I feel a little headachy…" Yuki touched his forehead.

The teacher glanced up at the clock. "Well, it's the last period of the day and you've already been tested… why don't you go to the nurse for the remainder of school?"

Yuki shot up, but remembered to stagger a little when he was upright. "Thank you." He nodded to the teacher, stuffing his things in his bag.

"Yuki, will you be alright?" it was Tohru, she was obviously worried.

"I'll be fine." He smiled up at her.

"But I have work today, I can come home instead and---"

"Oh no," Yuki cut her off, "you should go to work. I'll be fine, it's just a headache." Yuki assured her.

"Well… if you say so…"

"I'll be fine."

Yuki grabbed his bag, remembering to straighten the monkey suit of a skirt he was in before walking out, trying to act as wobbly as he could without being obvious.

The door closed with a click, and Yuki bolted. Anyone watching would've seen Yuki, and then nothing when he disappeared in a flash. If they were looking really carefully, they would've seen a flash of the blue skirt and white shirt as he rocketed around a corner and flew down the stairs.

People stared as he ran, and even though he knew that his skirt was flying up and giving small views of the ridiculous lingerie that Uo had forced him to buy, saying that he shouldn't wear boxers. Some crap about girls have to be girls, and she had then whispered something about `even if they're really boys' to Tohru.

It was… easier—if that was even the right word—to wear girls underwear, because it was utterly impossible to keep boxers hidden under this ridiculously low skirt (he'd tried), and Tohru had nearly popped a blood vessel when he came down from his room one day wearing the boxer-skirt combination. Tohru and her friends had taken him out that very afternoon and forced him to buy the embarrassing articles of clothing. Before that, he hadn't even comprehended the idea that Tohru was actually able to pop a blood vessel.

_Enjoy the show,_ he thought bitterly when he caught another group of guys staring open-mouthed at him. He didn't have the time or patience to walk home just to keep his skirt down.

Yuki threw open the door, wincing when he heard it crack and looked around frantically, sighing in relief when he didn't find an unconscious Kyo on the floor, or crumpled at the bottom of the stairs with a broken neck. And then he heard it. There was no mistaking that sound.

Yuki careened through the house, not even bothering to kick off his shoes as he went, and slammed open the bathroom door.

He leapt forward and placed his hand on Kyo's back, Kyo flinched at the person coming out of nowhere, but he didn't get the chance to find out who it was before his stomach emptied itself again.

When he was finally done, Yuki grabbed the glass off the sink and filled it, handing it to Kyo. He drained the entire thing into his mouth and spit, washing his mouth out.

"The stew Tohru left didn't sit too well." Kyo explained weakly, letting Yuki help him up.

"Come on." Yuki ushered him to the couch, being a little too numb to do anything else.

"I'll get you some crackers and something to drink." He mumbled, trotting away. His fingers lead themselves through the process of making up a plate of crackers and a glass of ginger ale.

Yuki's brain finally caught up with him, and he couldn't help but smile. _Kyo's fine. What the hell was I worried for anyway?_

He lifted the plate a turned, walking back to the living room, where Kyo was…wasn't lying on the couch.

The plate nearly cracked in half and the glass very closely shattered in his grip as he whirled back and forth.

"Kyo?" there was no hiding the panic in his voice.

A muffled groan came from the porch, and Yuki ran towards it without even thinking, dropping a few of the crackers along the way.

Kyo was lying eagle-spread on his back, sprawled in a patch of sunlight, a peaceful and carefree expression on his face. Yuki sighed and set the plate down, walking over to his cousin.

_Paramour_. It flashed across his vision again, momentarily blinding him. Maybe fate didn't hate him as much as he thought.

Yuki gulped and knelt down, stroking Kyo's forehead. His saw the cat visibly flinch, but didn't stop as that same vibrating rumbling through Kyo's chest told him that it was making him happy.

Yuki's hand combed through the flaming orange hair and cradled under the cat's head. He gulped again, and in one swift movement, lifted Kyo's head and set it on his lap. He'd seen plenty of pictures in Manga posters in bookstores, of the characters in affectionate positions like this.

_My words need to have some actions, or they're worthless. _He reminded himself, his shoulders clenched, praying that the cat wouldn't reject him.

Kyo's eyes popped, but he didn't move, and after a minute of motionless fighting with himself, his eyes drifted closed again.

Yuki sighed audibly in relief, making Kyo open his eyes again and look at him. The question `what's wrong?' was very visible in his eyes. Yuki shook his head.

"It's nothing." He whispered.

Back to Kyo's POV

Kyo's eyes never left the rat's face.

_What is that? Happiness? _His eyes trailed to Yuki's lips, remembering their last… ahem, well, the last time they… yeah.

_Should I... do it again? Yes. No. Want. Yes. Bad. Boy. Not girl. Not love. Love. Just crush. No. Yes. He won't remember. He'll remember and hate you._

He bit his lip viciously to stop his thoughts, trying to sort them out without them smashing around in his head. His headache was finally gone, so that wouldn't hinder his ability to think as it had a few days ago, and his body no longer refused to move. Actually, he would've gone to school today if Hatori hadn't visited and told him that he was still too weak to go. `Doctor's orders.' Kyo rolled his eyes. He had thought about just going, but next time, Hatori would've showed up at the house with a syringe containing only god knows what and sedated him so thoroughly that he wouldn't have been able to remember his name.

Telling his common sense and his gut feeling to take a hike, Kyo reached up stroked Yuki's cheek with his fingertips. Yuki flushed an amusing shade of red and turned his head away from Kyo's hand.

_What. The. Hell. He makes the first move and then denies me? I don't fucking think so, you damn rat._

Kyo, gritted his teeth and cupped his hand around the side of Yuki's neck, yanking him down and smashing his lips to his cousin's. Yuki froze, and Kyo winced, maybe he'd been too forceful. Maybe Yuki didn't even want this and the lap was just being nice. And the Yuki moved, brushing his hand over Kyo's shoulder, but it was enough. Kyo pulled his head off of Yuki's lap and rotated himself so that he was kneeling in front of the rat, their lips never breaking contact.

His hand began kneading the back of Yuki's neck, and Yuki's arms wrapped possessively around Kyo's neck, pressing them together so tightly that most people—at first glance—would've thought them to be conjoined. Then Yuki did something he never in a billion years thought he would do, he slid his legs out from under him and wrapped them around Kyo's waist, pulling himself onto the cat's lap.

Kyo's breath hitched, and his hands shot up to Yuki's shoulders, just like last time, but he was powerless to do anything when Yuki ground against him. The moan spilled out of his throat and into Yuki's mouth before he could even register what was really going on. And then the rat was leaning back, pulling Kyo slowly down as he went. Kyo was more torn than he'd ever been, but his hand instinctively shot out to brace them so he didn't land on Yuki, putting them in a very compromising situation.

Kyo was on his knees, bent forward with one hand on the veranda floor, the other wrapped around Yuki as Yuki's legs wrapped around his waist kept him suspended off the ground, his hands wrapped tightly around Kyo's neck.

Kyo was vaguely aware that the kiss hadn't stopped this entire time, and he didn't think he wanted it to, but… he couldn't do this, not like this at least.

Kyo slid he's knees back until he knelt Yuki's back touched the floor, and as Yuki grinded against him again, he almost gave in.

_No, not like this._

Kyo broke the kiss, and in one swift movement, had detached himself from Yuki and was by the door, his hand gripping the frame viciously. He couldn't look back at his cousin, he didn't think he would be able to withstand the look on his Yuki's face. It would break him more than this was going to.

"We can't do this." He said quietly. "You're going to remember everything soon, and you're going to regret it. Hatori didn't tell you anything about what happened, but he wants you to remember on your own." He kept his voice firm through the entire speech, though his chest felt like it was shattering, and when he was done, he walked inside the house, leaving Yuki out on the porch, his heart cracking as he heard Yuki's breathing quicken rapidly. But he couldn't look back, he couldn't comfort Yuki, he couldn't do anything.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. _This is the hardest; even more painful than getting rejected by the ones you love, is having to reject them instead. I am causing the pain, and that makes it hurt that much more. This is for you, and you better appreciate it when you remember you damn rat._

"Oh please no! Not the rejection! Not the rejection!"

(In a stupid French accent) "Fear not, my faithful readers! The story is not yet over! But if you review more, the next chapter might come faster!" (singing last bit there)


	7. Chapter 7

I Hope He Sees That Too

School was a waste of time, there was no reason that anyone would ever give that would change Kyo's opinion. Usually it was tolerable, but everything was changing his opinion on that right now.

Namely: Yuki, who had pretended that Kyo hadn't existed ever since three days ago when Kyo had… well, done the unspeakable.

What? The rat didn't think it was hard on him either? He didn't think that Kyo had wanted to get in the bathtub and slit his wrists right afterwards? Well, of course not, how the hell could he have known?

Kyo groaned mentally, chewing on his lip so hard he was convinced that after a while, only a thin layer of skin separated his teeth.

He glanced sideways again, trying to get anything from Yuki. A sign, a sadistic smirk, hell, he would even take a death glare, but Yuki didn't look at him. His shoulders didn't even stiffen, though Kyo was sure Yuki would be able to sense that someone kept looking at him.

_Damn it!_ His eyes snapped back to his desk, trying to burn holes in it. At least that would give him something to concentrate on other than Yuki, who, by the way, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about since about three days ago, afternoon-ish. And the feelings running through his head weren't resentment or regret either. It was something much, much stronger.

That kiss, it had been incredible.

It had been that heaven that Kyo had been searching desperately for, ever since his mom had killed herself.

It had been that glimpse of nirvana ever since he had met Tohru, the first one to really except him.

It had been that paradise that he thought would always be kept from his vision because he was the cat.

It had been that pure bliss, like nothing else he'd ever experienced, not when Tohru had brought him back from his emotional doom after master had pulled of his beads, not ever.

And he had pushed it away.

Everyone was right. The cat was a useless idiot, just a worthless waste of space that did nothing but upset and set people off.

Akito had always told him that no one would love him, and he was wrong about that, but Akito had also said that Kyo would never be able to experience love. That part, well, she'd been 90 percent right.

Kyo had experienced love, and the pain that it caused, but he hadn't accepted it. The bitch had been right; he would never experience love. Maybe he should just stick to Tohru and take whatever comes, if she chooses him or Yuki. And if she chose him, then he would keep Yuki out of his mind except as a rival.

For some reason, that thought set something on fire inside of him. Not an ambitious you-can-do-it fire, it was a painful, sickening heat, saturated with hate and anger that flared like acid in his heart.

The bell rang, and Tohru had to come over and poke him to get any reaction.

"Kyo?" she asked quietly. "Is everything ok? You look a little…" he trailed off, not being able to find the right word.

"Fine." He said curtly and stood, inconspicuously looking around, the rat had already left. He sighed as shoved his things roughly into his bag.

"Um, Kyo, I have to do some shopping."

"Fine."

"Will you and Yuki be alright?"

He flinched at Yuki's name.

"You were both very quiet today, and it's not raining, so…"

It was clear that she was worried they would fight. Kyo snorted, unless the rat wanted to beat the tar out of his hide—and he seriously doubted it—then they wouldn't be doing anything of the sort. Hell, he even doubted they would be talking.

"If you say so, but Kyo, Yuki's been very quiet today too, so…"

"I don't think we'll be fighting." He tried to cut her off in the nicest way possible, but he really wanted her to stop talking. "Let's just go." He turned for the door, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"Oh, ok." She forced a smile and trotted off after him.

Kyo ignored the rest of the house and went straight to the stairs, walking numbly up and into his room. He didn't even hear Tohru call for him to ask if he wanted anything from the store and to inform him that she was going out. Again.

"Oh, and Kyo?" Tohru yelled up the stairs. "Shigure is at the main house visiting Ayame and Shigure."

Nothing.

"Kyo?"

Still nothing.

She sighed and headed for the door. I wonder if something happened between those two. She looked once more back to the house before turning and walking out.

Kyo ran his hands through his hair and reached for the door handle and started downstairs. He was freaking hungry.

_I wonder what Yuki's---huh?_

His cat ears perked up to the sound of stifled sobs, and eventually led him to the door of none other than Yuki Sohma.

_Is he… what gives? Why is he crying?_ He rapped on the rat's door.

"What?" Yuki snapped.

Kyo shoved open the door to see Yuki sitting on his bed, no red eyes, no tears tracks, no water droplets on the sheets, nothing, as if he hadn't been crying. "Why…"

"`Why' what, you stupid cat?" Yuki said, trying to hide a swallow.

_Busted_. "Nothing, just wondering what's wrong." Kyo leaned up against the doorframe, his arm above him along the top of the frame.

"Nothing's wrong." Yuki growled menacingly.

"Then why were you crying?" Kyo returned, keeping his face blank.

Yuki's eyes popped, and then narrowed sharply as his death glare tried to burn holes in Kyo's head with his eyes. "I. Wasn't. Crying." He said dangerously. Kyo was sure Yuki would've been able to make those twin holes in his desk he'd been trying to burn earlier.

"Then who did I hear out in the hallway?" Kyo returned easily. There was no way in hell the rat was winning this battle.

Yuki had no response to that, and instead, his eyes narrowed even more, and for a second, Kyo thought the rat was going to attack him.

Time had stopped, and garnet eyes glared into amethyst eyes and amethyst eyes glared back until Kyo walked forward—making Yuki flinch—and sat down on the bed.

Kyo snorted loudly. "You were all right, about the cat."

Yuki's eyebrow raised, and Kyo finally noticed the extra glint in them when the sun hit the beautiful amethysts right. So he was crying.

"A monster, stupid, useless… those words were all right for describing the cat, and not to mention me. Akito was right, I never should've been born." Kyo let his head fall into his hands. "Listen rat, just… when you do remember, try not to forget that I did it for your own good. I'm going." He stood and walked for the door, his hand gripping the knob when a small voice stopped him.

"I do remember."

Kyo jolted to a stop, and whirled to find Yuki had curled his knees up to his chest and was hugging them so tightly that his arms were shaking. The liquid diamonds in his eyes had spilled over, and left glistening water tracks down his porcelain cheeks.

"…What?" Kyo breathed. He couldn't have heard that right. _There's no way that could've been right._

Yuki drew in a long shuddering breath. "I **do** remember you **stupid cat**, and the only reason you're **stupid** is because you believe what Akito has been telling you all these years! When the hell did you get to be such an idiot?" he yelled, glaring at Kyo.

Kyo's breath was stuck in his throat, and his hand shook violently on the door, making it rattle.

"Are you **trying** to break my door?" Yuki snapped, his head lifting off his knees.

"You… remember?" Kyo breathed.

Yuki's eyes drifted back down to the floor and his head fell back into his knees, so Kyo couldn't see his face.

The cat took a staggering step forward. "When did you…"

"… After your foot caught my cheek… and in the hospital." Yuki said finally.

"But, why…?" Kyo stared at the skirt Yuki was wearing. "You suddenly get an intense urge to be a cross dresser, or was that picked up from Ayame?"

Yuki bristled at Kyo's mention of him being like his brother, but didn't let his retort out of his throat.

"We were always fighting before I… started acting like that." Yuki said after a while. "I hated it, how blind we were, I didn't want to go back to that." he lay down on his bed. "And, I thought… that if I wasn't that girl anymore… you would hate me again."

His voice was barely above a whisper, but that was all Kyo needed to hear it.

"I couldn't bear being rejected anymore." Yuki forced himself up, scrubbing his eyes furiously with the heel of his palm. "And, Kyo… I wouldn't have been able to bear it from you even more than I would have been able to from Ms. Honda."

Kyo hadn't moved this entire time, and flopped weakly onto the bed, trying to process all of this. It was like he was tied to a chair, and everything that Yuki told him, felt like someone was punching him across the face.

"I'm sorry." Yuki shuddered again from a shaky breath, and stood. "I'm going to go now, just forget everything I told you." He stepped quietly for the door.

_But, if he started remembering at the hospital, than that last kiss… _Kyo's eyes shot open. _That hadn't been the girl talking, that was… Yuki._

Yuki reached the door and his hand lifted for the handle. Kyo lunged, grabbing the rat's wrist and pulling him back. Yuki, being so stunned at the touch, couldn't jump-start his brain enough to block or try to fight back, and out of nowhere, he was sitting in Kyo's lap, Kyo's arms wrapped tightly around him, with the cat's lips pressed securely against his own.

"Damn rat." Kyo growled, pulling back and resting his forehead against Yuki's, his eyes still closed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"B-because… you would have… I thought you would have…" Yuki stuttered, shocked speechless from their current position.

"Turned you away?" Kyo laughed darkly. "Then why didn't I the first time? Or the second? Being the cat doesn't make me that emotionally starved."

Yuki licked his lips, and Kyo realized that he wanted them again, he wanted to feel the soft flesh against his own and he craved Yuki's taste, like it was a drug.

"Yuki?" Kyo whispered, barely brushing his lips over the rat's when Yuki looked at him_. Come on, if you want this, then you'd better tell me. I'm not going to just guess the entire way through._

Yuki swallowed audibly, before tilting his head forward, pressing Kyo back the tiniest bit.

That was all Kyo needed, it was all he could force himself to wait for, and the his hands shot to his cousin's back, yanking him closer and smashing their lips together.

Yuki was quick to try and take the lead, his hands fisting in Kyo's flaming orange hair as he ran his tongue roughly along Kyo's bottom lip, forcing Kyo's mouth open.

_I don't think so rat._ Kyo pulled away and dove for Yuki's neck, nipping it once curiously, and plunging into the suckling when it extracted a gasp from Yuki.

They were fighting in the most nonviolent way they had ever fought in their lives, both trying for dominance.

Kyo smirked wildly and grabbed Yuki's shoulders, dragging him fully onto his lap and wrapping his cousin's leg around his waists, rocking them as revenge for how Yuki had messed with his head the last time they'd been in this position.

Yuki threw his head back, snapping his mouth shut so as not to scream before smiling. A feral glint flashed over his eyes and he slowly looked back down at Kyo.

Kyo leaned back warily as Yuki leaned forward, and then Yuki yanked his hand's from the cat's hair and slammed them against Kyo's shoulders, knocking him back onto the bed with a muffled `oomph' from Kyo as Yuki covered the cat's lips with his own again.

Kyo grabbed Yuki's shoulders and tried to push him back, but with inhumane speed, Yuki's hands had forced his wrists back onto the bed over his head while he ravaged his cousin's neck.

Kyo stifled a gasp as Yuki nibbled on his pulse point and struggled to right himself. Yuki smirked and unwound his legs from Kyo's waist to brace himself over the thrashing cat beneath him as he moved to Kyo's ear.

Kyo allowed himself to let loose a throaty moan, unable to contain it, and shuddered in ecstasy under the feeling of Yuki's tongue on his neck.

Yuki had somehow managed to lace the fingers of one of his hands through all ten of Kyo's fingers and was keeping the cat securely held against the bed with his hands pinned above his head. His slid his hand slowly under Kyo's shirt, letting his nails graze over the taught muscles, smirking when Kyo shuddered at the tingling feeling.

He pushed the shirt up to Kyo's collarbone, leaving him full access to Kyo's beautifully tanned chest. His tongue licked his lips nervously, but he smirked when he felt Kyo shuddered again in anticipation.

His tongue flicked out experimentally, tasting Kyo's flesh. Finding that he was becoming addicted off the taste, not to mention Kyo's reactions to everything were seriously turning him on, he dove into ravishing Kyo's exposed flesh with his mouth, kissing every inch from Kyo's navel to his neck and back again.

It took Kyo a moment to register that Yuki was no longer holding him down, and his tongue was not where he wanted it to be: tracing patterns on his chest.

In fact, the rat was gone.

Kyo shot up looking around until he saw Yuki walking to the door.

"Yuki---"

"I'm going to go get out of this skirt, I can't stand it." Yuki smirked. "But don't worry, I'm coming back." He slid open the door, shooting Kyo one seductive glance before sliding it closed again.

Kyo relaxed, draping his arms over his legs as he leaned forward.

_The cat and the rat, who would've guessed, but honestly… we belong together. Akito, well, if we're careful and no one ever finds out… it should be fine, right? I could still move to Master's dojo, and then get a house down there. Then Yuki could move in without anyone knowing. It'll be hard, but if we hide it all… we can do this. We can be together. We can be where we belong, with each other._

_I hope he sees that too._

WOOOOOOOOOO! FINISHED! Holy over-cooked artichokes and flying alfalfa! This is my first fanfiction to ever finish! Holy freaking crap! Hope everyone liked it, and there's some love in the futures of the cat and the rat! (insert yaoi fangirl squeal here) Please review, tell me what you thought, and you don't have to be a member to review, so even if you're just visiting, please tell me what you thought about this! Thank you everyone who read all the way through, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Bye all!

Fireserpent14

P.S. Tell me if you want me to do an epilogue, I'll do it if I get enough requests, so please review!


	8. Epilogue

I still don't own this. (damn)

Epilogue

…and more devastation hits this little town, as last night, young Anko Kimura was caught drunk driving by the local police. In an effort to flee from the officers, she sped 30 miles per hour over the speed limit, resulting in tearing down a quiet road at no less than 80 miles per hour. Kimura says she swerved to miss a dog in the middle or the road, which resulted in the collision of her car into a busy intersection, and ultimately, killing a young woman with her reckless driving. Akito Sohma, only 19, was rushed to the hospital after the ambulance arrived, but her doctor, and one of her family, says that her body was already sickly and weak, explaining why she was not able to recover from her surgery. Sohma died this morning at 2:48---

Yuki dragged himself off of the couch and pushed the off button on the TV. He sighed and stretched, walking into the kitchen. The kitchen of **Kyo's** house.

He pulled a bowl of pre-made curry from the fridge and stuck it in the microwave, taking care to remember every step of instructions for using the microwave.

1. Remove the covering on the food 2. Make sure the plate or bowl is microwave proof (check the bottom) 3. Place it at the center of the glass plate in the microwave 4. Never set the timer for more than a minute at a time 5. Test the food before putting it back into the microwave 6. Stir after each minute to regulate heating of the food 7. Never, ever, **ever** put anything metal in the microwave

Yuki smirked and set the timer for three minutes. He knew that curry always took three minutes. Kyo's recipe always did, and always would. The rules of using the microwave were posted up on the refrigerator at all times, and after setting the stove on fire, Yuki wasn't allowed to use the stove, oven, toaster, or anything else electrical in the kitchen. He was only allowed to use the microwave, and only if he followed the rules exactly. He smiled, Kyo meant well, but sometimes it was just annoying.

The news floated back into his mind as the aroma of the curry began to fill the kitchen, and Yuki's brow furrowed at the intruding and perfectly unwelcome thoughts.

… _Akito's dead… so why aren't I sad? Screw sad, why am I __**happy**__?_

The door clicked, something crashed, and Yuki had to smile at the string of colorful phrases and swears spewing from the front hall. **That** was why. The person in there—who had no doubt knocked over yet **another** vase—was his reason for being happy.

The second Kyo had turned 18, he had moved out of Shigure's house and down to where Master lived. He'd bought his own house with the money he'd inherited from his father, who had killed himself not two weeks later, and had taken over the dojo when Master had injured his leg on the stairs.

Yuki had always been a little jealous of their differences in age. August 15th, verses August 29th, there wasn't a big difference, but it was still 14 days. Kyo would always be 14 days older than Yuki was.

14 days ago, Kyo had turned 19, and today, Yuki was finally catching up to the cat. Today was August 29th.

"Are you alright?" Yuki called down the hallway as Kyo still hadn't appeared.

Silence.

"Kyo?" Yuki moved away from his lax position leaning against the counter and leaned around the doorframe, catching sight of the vase on the floor.

He picked it up—thankfully in one piece—and looked further down the hallway. "Kyo?" he called unsurely, much louder this time.

And then he caught sight of it, the orange hair on the floor, and Kyo's hand sprawled out next to it.

"Kyo!" Yuki raced around the corner and slid to the floor, placing his hands on either side of Kyo's head. "Kyo? **Kyo**!"

Yuki's oncoming panic attack was brought to an abrupt halt when the cat… **chuckled**.

Yuki sat back, his hand fisting as he tried not to hit Kyo. "You're joking?" he asked dangerously.

Kyo grinned impishly up at him before sliding his fingers around the back of Yuki's neck and pulling him down for a light kiss.

"I'm fine." He assured Yuki, pushing himself up off the floor. "Did I break that thing?"

"The **vase **is fine." Yuki said curtly. "Though I'm not so sure how 'fine' other things are going to be after I'm done with them."

Kyo rolled his eyes and stood, offering a hand to Yuki. Yuki sighed in defeat and took it, letting the flame-haired boy help him up.

Kyo looked up to the ceiling and sniffed. "You're not cooking, are you?" he asked warily.

"Just the microwave." Yuki headed back towards the kitchen, shooting the cat a dark glare when he sighed in relief.

"So, I heard something interesting from Tohru today." Kyo began, walking into the kitchen and pulling open the fridge, looking for dinner.

"Akito died." Yuki finished blandly, pulling his curry from the microwave and tipping the bowl back against his lips, not even bothering to look for a spoon as he sipped the broth.

Kyo tripped over his own feet, and went flying, managing to catch himself and set the things on the counter before regaining his balance.

"How did…?" he asked when he'd finally gotten himself upright.

"Telepathy." Yuki smirked, taking another sip of the broth. Kyo's expression didn't change from his clearly dubious thoughts. Yuki rolled his eyes. "The news." He said around a piece of meat.

"Oh." Kyo paused, and then went back to finding a pot to heat up the rest of the curry. He poured the food into a pot and plucked Yuki's bowl from his fingers, adding it to the rest in the pot.

"What if I was sick?" Yuki asked tartly, missing the food, as his hunger was really starting to be a nuisance.

"Wouldn't matter. I already had my tongue in your mouth when you thought I died from **falling**." Kyo smirked playfully at Yuki over his shoulder, stirring the contents of the pot out of the corner of his eye.

Yuki flushed a deep shade of red and whirled, stomping into the living room. "Why do you have to be so blunt?" he demanded, flopping down on the couch in a huff.

"Because I like seeing you go the color of Tohru's pink apron that Shigure gave her." Kyo appeared in the doorway, leaning casually against the wood. Yuki went even redder at the statement.

"Why don't I have any… remorse?" he asked abruptly, his voice dead. There was no emotion, it was just… dead.

"Huh?"

"…For… Akito… I feel like I should…" Yuki's voice faded away, trying to understand the feelings whirling in his head at the moment.

"Care or something?" Kyo offered, snorting when Yuki nodded. "Well, **I** don't if it makes you feel better."

"Actually, it does." _Which makes it feel that much worse._

Kyo walked over and flopped down on the couch next to Yuki. "Hard to care about someone when they treated you like crap all your life, huh?"

Yuki nodded, leaning back so his shoulder brushed against Kyo's.

"Well, I guess we don't have to stay a secret anymore, huh?" Yuki laughed nervously.

"Master already knows about us." Kyo looked over confusedly at him.

"I meant everyone else." Yuki rolled his eyes.

"Oh." Kyo murmured, a small, nervous crack in his voice.

"I'm pretty sure they all have already figured it out. I've been 'caught' in your house one too many times."

"More like a hundred." Kyo corrected, sniffing the air and rising from the couch to go stir the curry.

Yuki watched him go longingly, instantly missing the cat's presence. He shifted slightly on the couch, moving onto the warmth where Kyo had been sitting. He sighed and leaned back against the couch, melting into the cushions.

Who would have ever thought he'd fall in love with the cat? Maybe Kagura was right, the hatred between the cat and rat had gone on long enough.

"So then, if everyone knows… why bother leaving here? I mean, do you really want to go back to the main house? Or Shigure and Tohru's?" Kyo called from the kitchen.

"Are you…" Yuki blinked, daring it to be true, "asking me to… move in with you?"

Silence.

"You're already here a weeks at a time, telling everyone crap about your job and an apartment building and stuff, so why not?" Kyo defended himself haughtily from the kitchen as Yuki rose silently and tiptoed into the kitchen, waiting until the cat had put down the ladle before he grabbed Kyo's shoulders and spun him, slamming his lips firmly over the cat's.

"I thought I was going to have to move myself in if you didn't ask." He whispered huskily. It didn't take Kyo's mind long to catch up to him, and he pushed Yuki back up against the wall, sliding his hands up under the rat's shirt.

A knock at the door stopped them abruptly, and Kyo growled, pulling his hand slowly from Yuki's chest, dragging his nails lightly along Yuki's skin as he did. Yuki glared at his smug smirk, cursing the interrupting, bad-timed idiot at the door.

He followed Kyo around into the hallway and immediately took back what he had thought, well, half of it at least.

Tohru waved happily from the doorway, Shigure right by her side.

"Hope you boys don't mind if we drop in?" Shigure smiled. "We were in the neighborhood and---"

"Oh give me a break and just come in, your letting in all the hot air." Kyo rolled his eyes and marched back to the kitchen. Yuki aimed a kick at his shins as he walked by. Yes, he didn't want to be interrupted either, and yes, he didn't want Shigure standing in the doorway letting all the muggy August air into the closed-up, cool house, but he wasn't being an ass about it either.

"How far along are you Tohru?" Yuki asked nicely, leading the newest member of the Sohma family into the living room.

She reached down and touched her growing stomach. "About six months, wont be long now." She beamed brightly at him, kneeling with a little difficulty at the table.

Even more strange then him and Kyo getting together, or Ayame and Mine getting married, was Tohru and Shigure. It was obvious Tohru had loved Kyo first, but after he moved out and Tohru no doubt began picking up on what was going on between Yuki and Kyo, she moved on and somehow fell in love with Shigure. Tohru could be clueless at times, but she wasn't oblivious. Not only that, but Tohru was very pregnant, due on November 23rd, only three short months away. It was obvious that Shigure had always cared about Tohru, but Yuki honestly had been stunned speechless when Tohru had called and somehow got him to understand (through her crying, hyperventilating and yelling) that she and Shigure were getting married.

"We can't stay long, but we did want to stop in and see if you two were **busy**." Shigure smiled innocently.

_Damn Shigure._ Yuki scowled. The idiot apparently still hadn't outgrown his ability or need to slip perverted things into his sentences, and probably never would. And by the look of Kyo's glare and Tohru's unwavering smile, Kyo had heard it, and it had flown twenty feet over Tohru's head.

"Yes, you were meeting Hatori and Ayame for lunch, right?" Tohru clapped her hands together in front of her.

"That's right, at about noon, so we should leave---" Shigure took her hand.

"Now!" Kyo jumped up. "The traffic around here is insane this time of year, even the train has a waiting line to get on it, you should get a head start, get there a little early just to piss Hatori off, he hates not being the first to dates and things like that." Kyo walked towards the door, spitting out reasons for them to leave like an overflowing fountain.

"Now Kyo-Kyo, you wouldn't be trying to get rid of us, would you? Oh, and speaking of **us**," he paused, "Yuki, we've been seeing you around here a lot, haven't we?"

_Oh good bloody lord, here it comes._

"I was just curious, obviously you have no need to hide anything now that Akito has passed away… is anything going on between you two?" his smile nearly blinded everyone in the room in all of its fraud.

"Something." Yuki agreed quietly, sipping his tea.

"Oh?" Shigure prompted, sighing when no one said anything else. "Because Kagura was curious, and I told her I would find out, but if I don't go back home with sufficient information, she might feel the need to come down here herself."

The air instantly dropped a good thirty degrees, and was followed by the thunder of footsteps.

"You brought her along with you, didn't you?" Kyo yelled, his voice disappearing up the stairs. "Shit, I've been avoiding her for two years!"

Yuki's eyes flicked back from the hallway, and then his glare zeroed in on Shigure's amused smile.

"I'd appreciate if you didn't do that." Yuki said dryly, placing his cup on the table.

Shigure just chuckled, and Tohru looked between Yuki, Shigure and the stairs in turn frantically.

Yuki sighed. "Yes, there is something between us, but no one will know from us until we're both ready to reveal it."

"That kind of gives it away Yuki." Shigure raised his tea to his lips.

"I didn't say I wanted to hide anything, because we don't need to for our safety anymore, but I don't know about him."

Shigure nodded. "I understand, it was quite the horror for me when our dear sweet Tohru said that she wanted to be married early, rather than wait until Akito accepted her more into the family, but we can't protect the ones we love forever Yuki. Sometimes… we have to trust that they know what to do, and more often than not, they do know."

Yuki nodded at Shigure's first genuine smile, tracking the dog as he rose.

"Well," Shigure looked at the clock, "I do have a lunch with Hari and Aya, and I also need to meet with my editor, and Tohru is seeing Hari later for her six-month checkup. I suppose we must be going."

"It was nice to see you again Mrs. Sohma." Yuki stood as Shigure helped Tohru up.

"Oh, no! Just Tohru is fine, really!" Tohru blubbered embarrassedly, waving her hands like a lunatic in front of her.

"It was good to see you again Yuki, you and Kyo should come visit the main house more often now that… well, now that there really isn't any reason to avoid it anymore."

Yuki nodded. "We'll try, and…"

"We'll tell you when the next god is born. Who knows, it might be our little child." Shigure patted Tohru on the head, making her blush flame on her cheeks. The two waved goodbye, Tohru still waving even as they were walking away down the street to the train station.

Yuki sighed and looked back to the stairs, smiling accusingly as Kyo walked warily down the stairs.

"She isn't here, you know."

"Shut up!" Kyo barked, instantly on the defensive. "I knew that!"

"Sure." Yuki sighed, walking back to the kitchen and sitting down at the table to finish his tea.

"So… you know what today is, right?" Kyo sat down across from him.

"Of course, you've been giving me hell the past fourteen days about being older than me, and that ends today. I'm nineteen along with you now." Yuki smirked to himself.

Kyo reached into his cargo pants pocket and pulled out an envelope.

"I said not to get me anything---" Yuki began a futile attempt at a protest.

"I said that too, but did you listen? No, of course not, so if you think I was going to just skip over your birthday, you're an idiot." Kyo stared blandly back at him, laying the envelope down on the table.

"You already asked me to move in with---"

"That was the beginning of your present, quit bitching and just open the damn envelope." Kyo slid it across the table so it thunked into Yuki's wrist.

Yuki glared halfheartedly at his lover, inwardly, his heart sinking as no ring was visible through the backlighting of the envelope as he lifted it, but he tore open the seal anyway.

"A key?" he pulled out the small piece of metal.

"I can't leave the house open all the time for you." Kyo scoffed. "And you should get the rest of your stuff in here."

"Is this for me moving in---"

Tap.

Yuki dared himself to look, and his eyes dragged up to a small box that had been placed in front of him on the table. His throat was too dry to swallow, though his tongue was screaming for him to as his hand reached out, trembling slightly, and lifted the box off the table.

It was simple, a small, blue, velvet box, no bigger than an inch and a half by an inch and a half, but the tiny box still had Yuki's heart hammering like a jackhammer.

His finger traced the top of the box, before slowly pulling it open.

The ring was… he didn't even know how to describe it. It was a silver band, with a diamond tucked gently into the metal. Nothing too elaborate… exactly the way he'd wanted it. Kyo really knew him better than he thought.

"Is this…?" Yuki looked up at Kyo, finding the cat staring embarrassedly at the wall.

Kyo shrugged. "I had a bunch of extra money left over from my old man, so---"

Yuki launched himself across the table and into Kyo's arms, who luckily had fast enough reflexes to catch him and brace himself for the impact, but Yuki still sent them sprawling over the living room floor.

Yuki was frantically kissing the cat like this was his last day on earth, practically eating Kyo alive, and Kyo wasn't doing much to hold back either.

Yuki latched onto Kyo's shoulders and rolled them, wrapping his legs around the cat's waist.

Kyo laughed, detaching Yuki's legs from him. "It's your turn." He whispered into the rat's ear and flipped them again, so Yuki was on top.

Yuki wasted no time in pulling Kyo's shirt over his head and discarding it somewhere in the kitchen.

"I love you." He whispered, nipping at Kyo's ear.

"I love you too." Kyo said back, wrapping his fingers around the hem of Yuki's shirt and pulling it over his head. "Now shut up and fuck me."

Yuki laughed and dove for the Kyo's neck, sucking and biting at the tender skin.

_I'm getting married._

THE END!


End file.
